Forklift truck destroys Roydon shop in ram-raid
- Published
The shop was "extensively damaged" in the raid, Essex Police said
A newsagent shop was demolished when a stolen forklift truck was used in a ram-raid to steal a cash machine.
McColl's in High Street, Roydon, Essex, was "extensively damaged" in the raid at about 02:00 BST, with residents in flats above evacuated.
Up to four men used the forklift to drive through the front window, remove the ATM and load it on to a red pick-up truck.
The cash machine was recovered intact on a nearby farm track.
The forklift truck was abandoned on High Street.
Essex Police said some of the raiders - reportedly carrying knives - left the scene in a white Kia Sportage. All three vehicles used in the raid had been stolen.
The raid happened at about 02:00 BST
Det Insp Greg Wood said: "It seems that the thieves had planned to hide the ATM, truck and car off a farm track, but thanks to the information received from the public we were able to find the cash machine and vehicles before the suspects could return."
He appealed for information about the movements of all three vehicles, adding that a forklift truck is not the usual sort of vehicle seen on public roads late at night.