Police recover ATMs after theft in Ballymena

A tractor and digger used to remove the cash machines were set alight at supermarket. Credit: Pacemaker

Police in Ballymena have recovered two ATMs after they were removed from a supermarket in the town.

Officers were called to the Tesco Superstore on Larne Link Road at around 3am on Friday.

A nearby police patrol responded and spotted the ATMs being driven away from the area on the back of a pick-up type vehicle.

They followed and subsequently located the vehicle abandoned on the Woodside Road.

A tractor and digger used to remove the cash machines were set alight at the supermarket.

A forensic officer assesses the scene of the damage following the theft on Friday morning. Credit: Pacemaker

PSNI Detective Chief Inspector David Henderson said: "The recovered ATMs will now be examined for any forensic evidence they might yield.

"On this occasion, the quick response of the police patrol was able to forcethe thieves to abandon their vehicles and the ATMs and they have fledempty-handed.

"It is likely that the digger and tractor involved were stolen, however noreports of such machinery being stolen have been received as yet."

It is the latest in a series of robberies targeting ATMs in Northern Irelandand the Republic.