Third cash machine ram-raid in weeks in Leicestershire

Police have asked anyone with information about the cash machine theft to contact them

A cash machine stolen from a supermarket using a digger could be linked to two other raids, say police.

A JCB digger smashed through the window of a Co-op, in Stoney Stanton, Leicestershire, at about 03:00 BST.

Police said the digger was stolen from Gilmorton, a nearby village, the same night and was left at the scene.

In recent weeks, a digger was used in an attempted theft on 5 June and a telescopic handler was used during an ATM raid on 10 July.

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Leicestershire Police said the suspects drove off in a dark BMW or Mercedes Estate after the Stoney Stanton robbery. It has not been disclosed how much cash was taken.

Det Sgt Dave Speight said: "We are in the early stages of our inquiries and are looking into the possibility that this recent incident may be linked to the theft of an ATM from Ashby on 10 July and Thringstone on 5 June.

"We would urge anyone who may have caught any part of the incident on their private or commercial CCTV cameras to contact us immediately."

In January, Rothley Post Office was left "gutted" after a cash machine containing up to £30,000 was torn out of the shop front during a ram-raid using a forklift-type vehicle.

In March, another Co-op store in Great Glen was badly damaged when a hydraulic lifter was used to rip a cash machine from a wall.

Last month, a digger was again used in a bid to steal a cash machine from another Co-op in Thringstone.

Two weeks ago, footage of raiders ripping a cash machine from a building society, in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, using a telescopic handler was released by Leicestershire Police.