Digger cash machine ram-raids believed to be linked

Two ram-raids on convenience stores are believed to be linked, police said.

An unsuccessful attempt to steal a cash machine in Kings Bromley, Staffs, on Wednesday was followed by a successful robbery in nearby Hatton on Thursday.

Both raids involved the use of vehicles which damaged the convenience stores.

Masked raiders on Wednesday were forced to flee the scene without the cash when they were disturbed by police. Nobody was arrested after Thursday's raid when a group stole the machine in a trailer.

Raiders at the Nisa store, in Hatton, threw a metal bar at police before fleeing the scene

Det Sarah Witham, of Derbyshire Police, said: "We are still investigating the possibility that this raid is linked to one in Staffordshire.

"We are throwing lots of resources at the inquiry and we are taking the offence very seriously."

Staffordshire Police said a group of "masked men" were behind the raid in Kings Bromley.

Four men were involved in the Hatton raid, according to Derbyshire Police.

The Co-op in Kings Bromley is being examined by structural engineers

In both incidents, the vehicles were stolen and abandoned at the convenience stores.

The JCB used in the Kings Bromley raid is believed to have been stolen from Netherseal, in Derbyshire, and the teleporter used in Hatton was stolen from Tutbury, in Staffordshire.