Asda ram raid: Digger used to steal cash machine in Tunbridge Wells
Police have cordoned off the scene where a digger was used to smash a hole in the side of a Tunbridge Wells supermarket.
Thursday 4 April 2019 12:58, UK
A digger was found abandoned in an Asda car park after it was used to steal a cash machine in an apparent ram raid.聽
Kent Police said the vehicle had been driven into the supermarket in Tunbridge Wells shortly after 3.30am on Thursday.
The digger smashed a hole in the side of the shop near to where the ATMs are located, causing a large amount of damage.
A commuter passing the supermarket on the way to work said it "looks like someone has been doing a bit of late-night shopping".
He added police had "cordoned off the entire site" and there was "an abandoned digger with a huge hole in the wall where the ATMs were once housed".
One man wrote on Twitter that he had driven past the Asda to find it "swarming" with police.
John Pilgrim said: "Just drove past @asda in Tunbridge Wells and it's swarming with Old Bill. Someone has nicked a digger and ripped the 2 ATMs out of the wall. Dumped the digger and done a runner with the cash machines."
An Asda spokesperson said the supermarket remains closed while the theft is investigated.
Police are linking the ram raid to a burglary overnight at a recycling centre on the same road.
Detective Inspector James Derham said: "The cash machine burglary took place in a busy industrial area of the town and we are asking for witnesses who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously or saw a large vehicle leaving the North Farm Estate area around the time of the incident."
Kent Police ask anyone with information to call 01622 604100 quoting 04-121, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.