Digger left behind after ram-raiders steal cash machine from shop

Another cash machine has been ram-raided by thieves in Leicestershire.

A JCB digger was driven into the ATM at the Spar shop in Coventry Road, Market Harborough, in the early hours.

The digger was left abandoned outside the shop. It caused extensive damage to the building - and a gaping hole where the cash machine used to be.

It is not known how much money was stolen during the raid.

It is the 16th cash machine to be targeted in 18 months across Leicestershire and Rutland.

Across the East Midlands, there have been 40 ramraids in 12 months, but so far none have led to convictions.

The most recent attempt mirrors thefts in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, where thieves have used heavy-duty vehicles to batter their way into buildings.

Police are now working with banks and retailers to explore ways of preventing these types of raids, including the use of anti-ramraid bollards, and installing vibration detectors on ATM machines.