Castleblayney ATM theft investigated by Gardaí

The ATM was ripped from the wall of the bank in Castleblayney

A cash machine has been ripped from the wall of a bank in County Monaghan.

It is understood a jeep, van and stolen digger were used in the theft at Main Street in Castleblayney.

Police were contacted at about 03:00 BST. The jeep and digger remained at the scene on Wednesday morning.

In the early hours of Monday, a digger was used to rip a cash machine from the wall of a shop in Ahoghill in County Antrim.

The scene remained sealed off on Wednesday morning

The PSNI said eight ATMs have been stolen in seven separate incidents in Northern Ireland in 2019, along with one attempted theft.

Det Ch Insp David Henderson said police were "actively looking at it being several gangs involved".

Gardaí (police) were called to the scene at about 03:00 local time

Castleblayney is a short distance from the Northern Ireland border.

Speaking after the raid there, Garda Supt Fergus Treanor said the frequency of ATM thefts was not only a concern for police, but also for the local communities in the border region.

He said gardaí are at the very early stages of the investigation and are working closely with the PSNI and that a number of criminal gangs are involved in the thefts.

He said that the digger had been stolen locally.

No one was injured in the incident, which follows several such robberies in border counties in the past few months.

Last month, two ATMs were taken in separate incidents on the same night in counties Cavan and Tyrone.