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Digger-wielding raiders wreck York bank and steal cash machine

Wrecked: NatWest in Heslington after the raid. Photograph: PCSO Shuttleworth on Twitter

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Crime

This was the sight which greeted villagers in Heslington on Thursday morning (October 15).

It used to be the NatWest Bank on Main Street in the village. Thieves wrecked the building to gain access to the cash machine inside in the early hours of the morning.

A member of the public called police at about 2.30am to say a digger was being used to force entry into the bank.

Officers were on the scene within three minutes but the offenders had fled in a black Jaguar car.

The ATM from inside the bank had been taken away on a flat-bed truck.

Scene of devastation: the remains of the Nat West Bank in Heslington. Photograph: PC Kirven, North Yorkshire Police
Scene of devastation: the remains of the Nat West Bank in Heslington. Photograph: PC Kirven, North Yorkshire Police
Can you help the police find the offenders? Photograph: PCSO Shuttleworth on Twitter
Can you help the police find the offenders? Photograph: PCSO Shuttleworth on Twitter

A green digger was used to smash into the building. It was reported stolen earlier that evening from a farm near the Grimston Bar roundabout in York, and abandoned at the scene.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

Extensive enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible.

Officers particularly want to hear from anyone who saw the incident or any of the vehicles involved.

Can you help? Contact details below.

north-yorkshire-police-logo-25How to help the police

Call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and speak to the York Serious Crime Team
Or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111
Quote reference number 12150182517

Series of raids

The scene of devastation at Penny Petrol Station on Hull Road. Photograph: NYP York North on Twitter
The scene of devastation at Penny Petrol Station on Hull Road earlier this year

It is the latest in a series of similar smash and grab crimes.

In June, raiders used a forklift truck to remove a cash machine from the Penny Petrol Station on the Hull Road near Dunnington.

And back in January, thieves used a JCB-style digger to smash into the Co-Op in Haxby and steal the ATM.