A digger has been used in an ATM theft near a filling station in Richhill, Co Armagh, with firefighters and police called to the scene.
Suspicious activity near the filling station on the Portadown Road was reported at around 4.45am on Tuesday.
When police arrived at the scene, a digger was on fire and firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze.
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Substantial damage was caused to the filling station during the theft, with the digger believed to be stolen from a nearby building site.
Police said two men in dark clothing were observed loading the ATM into the back of a trailer, before setting fire to the digger and making off in a white van.
The van, trailer and ATM were later recovered by police on the Moy Road.
PSNI Detective Inspector Handley said: “A report was received shortly after 4.45am on Tuesday morning, 20th December of suspicious activity in the area.
“On the arrival of officers, a digger was located on fire and a built in cash machine had been stolen from the premises, causing substantial damage to the building.
“Our colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended and extinguished the fire. We believe the digger was stolen from a site a short distance away.
“Two men were observed wearing dark clothing as they placed the ATM into a trailer and then set fire to the digger before leaving in a white van towards the Portadown Road.
“We have since recovered the van, trailer and ATM on the Moy Road and a full investigation is now underway to determine the circumstances surrounding this theft.
“I am appealing to anyone who was in the area between 4.30am and 4.45am and saw what happened, or who has information which could assist our investigation to call us.
“In particular, I am appealing to anyone who saw a white van towing a trailer in the Portadown Road and Moy Road areas to get in touch with detectives by calling 101, quoting reference 183 of 20/12/22.”
Newry & Armagh DUP MLA William Irwin slammed those behind the incident.
He said: “This is another quite shocking and ridiculous crime where a digger has been stolen from a site close by, driven through fences and fields, across a main busy road and then through the Fruitfield fences and eventually to the cash machine housing.
“Then obviously with the use of such a large machine have made short work of the small building and the cash machine has been loaded and the criminals have fled.
“This occurred at 4.30am this morning according to the PSNI and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious to contact the PSNI immediately and assist with their inquiries.
"This is a well-used resource and will certainly inconvenience a great many people who rely on the machine for their cash. There will also be a cost to the service station in rebuilding this facility and it illustrates the impact of such criminality. Hopefully those behind this criminality can be apprehended and brought before the courts.”
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