Raiders 'used gas' to blow up Darlington Matalan ATM

Raiders used gas to blow up a cash machine outside a Matalan store in Darlington, police have said.

The machine was targeted in the early hours of Thursday, with the explosion reportedly heard up to two miles away.

No-one was hurt in the blast and detectives believe a "quantity of cash" may have been taken.

Durham Police said the scale of the explosion may also have resulted in "one or more" of the offenders being injured.

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The explosion was reportedly heard several miles away

Insp Chris Knox, of the force, said: "Following our ongoing investigation into yesterday's explosion, I can confirm that we now believe the blast was caused by gas which was ignited.

"Officers are continuing to follow up a number of lines of inquiry and I would once again like to reassure residents that this was a targeted and isolated incident."

Police are trying to trace a car that was seen leaving the area at the time.

Debris from the blast was scattered over a wide area outside the store.