Details of the ram-raid in which a digger was used to rip a cash machine from Lloyds bank in Lydd, Romney Marsh, Kent have emerged. The raid, which took place at 3.30am, left Lydd High Street closed for much of this morning while Police investigated and the road was cleared of the 8 tonne digger left by the robbers and the debris caused when it was smashed into the bank.
Police say two offenders dressed in dark clothing and wearing balaclavas took part in the ram raid on using an 8 tonne JCB digger to pull the cash machine from the wall before loading it into one of two a light coloured 4x4 vehicles and driving off.
Police rushed to the scene, with first patrol cars arriving within 7 minutes of the call, while other cars went to likely routes taken by the offenders to get out of the area and surrounding roads and countryside.
Police are now searching for the offenders, one of whom is described as having an Irish accent. Physically, one is said to be stocky and 5’10” tall. The other is between 5’10” and 6’ tall.
Superintendent Mark Nottage said, "Kent police have had significant success in bringing the perpetrators of similar crimes to justice in recent years. Over the last two and a half years Serious and Organised Crime Unit investigations have led to 15 convictions for cash point, or ATM offences. Their sentences add up to just under 100 years".
Speaking after the incident he said, "Investigations at the scene are now complete, and the High Street was re opened at around 11.45hrs. I apologise for the inconvenience the closure has caused the community."
The raid on the Lydd bank follows previous ram-raid incidents across the Romney Marshes. In a similar raid in April, thieves crashed a digger into convenience store in Hamstreet making off with the ATM machine.
> Ram-raid on Lydd bank - 6th Nov. 2009
> Ram-raid on Hamstreet convenience store - 10th April 2009
Pictures (c) Romney Marsh Times
Home
Blogs
News in your area:
Romney Marsh
Folkestone
Ashford
Dungeness
Kent
Romney Marsh Jobs
Kent Traffic
Kent Weather
|
For your diaryKent FactoidsThings to read
Get more news like this, dailySee what your friends are readingJoin us on Facebook and see what your friends are reading and sharing. Just click LIKE below.What do you think: Shepway SurveyMost PopularSouth East Kent woke this morning (Sunday 5th Feb. 2012) to a winter wonderland after heavy snow fell across the region overnight. Betwee...
10th Feb 2012: Seventy firefighters are tackling a huge fire in a row of terraced shops in the Old High Street, Folkestone, Kent. Ten fire...
The Met Office has issued amber be prepared snow warnings for Kent, including Folkestone, Romney Marsh and Ashford, for tonight - Saturday ...
What people are saying:
|
From Romney Marsh Times ...
| More about RMTimes | More about the Marsh | Romney Marsh Books | Kent Information | Kent Travel Info |
| About Romney Marsh Times | FAQ's about the Marsh | History of Romney Marsh | Kent Weather | Dover Ferries |
| Suggest a story | Romney Marsh Guide | Kent Landranger map | Kent road / M20 traffic | Channel Tunnel Info |
| Get your business on here | Old photographs | Romney Marsh Directory | Southeastern Trains | |
| Contact Me | Life on Marsh | Romney Marsh Jobs | ||
| Privacy Policy |
The Romney Marsh Times: The Internet news magazine for SE Kent: Romney Marsh, Folkestone, Ashford and Dover, updated 7 days a week. Follow us on twitter @rmtimes All articles © Romney Marsh Times, Rights reserved under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Generic license. |
| Private Investigator Books | Ethan and Daniel Leaning | Become a personal trainer | Top
|
Got something to say?
Local Links & businesses