Delays and disruption to Southern train services after crane used in Barnham Co-op ram raid
ITV Meridian reporter Chlöe Oliver sent this from the scene of the ramraid
A man has been arrested after a crane was used in an attempt to steal a cash machine from a supermarket in West Sussex.
Police were called to a building site in Yapton Road, Barnham, West Sussex, at 2.15am on Tuesday after a report that a small crane had been stolen.
Officers then made searches of nearby ATM sites and found a raid in progress at a Co-op store in Barnham.
A 43-year-old man, from Ashford, Middlesex, was arrested after being chased by officers on foot.
The suspected ram raid has caused disruption to rail services across Hampshire and Sussex.
National Rail said delays and cancellations will be in place until 3pm on Tuesday.
It's due to the the train crew depot for Southern Rail being situated above the shop. It had to be evacuated before the building was deemed structurally safe by officials from the local council.
At midday, attempts were made to remove the crane, but when hydraulic fuel began to leak engineers halted moving it.
Two hours later, just before 2pm, traffic along the busy road outside Barnham Railway Station was stopped so the JCB could be driven away.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Police arrested a man in Barnham on Tuesday morning (July 4) after stopping an aggravated burglary in progress at a supermarket.
"Officers had been called to a building site in Yapton Road at around 2.15am to reports of a small crane having been stolen.
"Response units were deployed to nearby cash machines and came across a crane attempting to steal an ATM from a supermarket in Barnham Road.
"The driver of the crane, a 43-year-old man, from Ashford, Middlesex, was detained after a short foot chase and arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and criminal damage.
"He remains in custody at this time.
"A white Volvo XC60 was also seen to leave the scene.
"Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information or footage that could help, is asked to contact police online or via 101, quoting serial 1624 of 03/07."
A spokesperson for National Rail said: "Due to the police dealing with an earlier incident near the railway in the Barnham area, fewer trains will run on all Southern routes between Brighton, Littlehampton, Portsmouth, and Southampton Central.
"Your journey will take up to 60 minutes longer than usual, and you may need to use an alternative route to reach your destination.
"Southern services which normally split at Horsham and run direct to Bognor Regis have been cancelled.
"Due to this Southern services which normally run from London Victoria to Bognor Regis will cover the stations between Horsham and Bognor Regis.
"Southern services which run direct from Bognor Regis to Littlehampton have been cancelled.
"Services which run direct between Littlehampton and Portsmouth and Southsea have started to run again but please check before starting your journey to make sure the service you require is running and on time.
"You can use your ticket to travel at no extra cost on Southern and Thameslink services on any reasonable route, South Western Railway services between Portsmouth/Southampton/Havant and London Waterloo, Great Western Railway services between Southampton and Portsmouth and also Gatwick Airport via Reading to assist those with onward journeys, London Underground between London Terminals – for London Waterloo and connections via South Western Railway services.
"Stagecoach Buses route 700, which runs between Brighton and Littlehampton, and between Littlehampton and Portsmouth and 500 which runs between Littlehampton, Barnham, and Chichester.
"Brighton & Hove Buses on all routes for stations between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...