ATM Ripped From British Bank Wall as Thieves Use Forklift in Brazen Night-Time Raid Before Fleeing

Suspects used a stolen telehandler to rip an ATM from the front of a Nationwide Building Society branch in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, during pre-dawn raid on 16 June, with CCTV capturing the machine being torn from the building before several vehicles fled the scene.

Cambridgeshire Police were called to the Nationwide branch on High Street at around 3.17am after reports that a stolen telehandler, along with two other vehicles, had been used to remove the cash machine from the front of the premises. Police later released CCTV as they appealed for witnesses and information about the theft.

The footage gives investigators a striking account of how the ATM was removed. People dressed in dark clothing can be seen getting out of a vehicle before the heavy machinery is driven towards the front of the building. The telehandler then reverses, pulling the cash machine away from the premises.

The ATM was subsequently loaded into another vehicle before those involved left the area.

Bizzare ATM Raid Captured on CCTV

The police footage does not identify the people involved, and investigators have appealed to anyone who witnessed suspicious activity around Ramsey in the early hours of 16 June to come forward.

Cambridgeshire Police said a stolen telehandler and two other vehicles were used during the incident. Detectives are also seeking dashcam recordings, doorbell footage and CCTV that could help establish what happened before and after the ATM was removed.

Reports following the incident suggested that tens of thousands of pounds may have been taken from the machine, although an exact amount has not been publicly confirmed by police. It is therefore safer to describe the ATM as having been removed and stolen rather than state an unverified figure for the money inside it. ITV News Anglia reported that tens of thousands of pounds were taken, but this figure was not included in the police appeal.

The incident also briefly captured the attention of another driver. Footage showed a bakery van arriving while the ATM was being loaded, but the vehicle was not involved in the theft, according to ITV News Anglia.

Nationwide confirmed that it was aware of the incident and said it was working to reopen the branch and replace the ATM. The building society advised customers to use nearby branches while the work was carried out.

Police Hunt Follows ATM Theft

The Ramsey raid came during a wider run of ATM thefts involving heavy machinery in the region.

The following day, another cash machine was ripped from an Asda Express in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, shortly before 5am. Police said a stolen telehandler and two other vehicles were involved in that incident and began examining whether it could be connected to the Ramsey theft.

A third raid followed in Baldock, Hertfordshire, on 18 June.

Four men wearing balaclavas were reportedly involved, with a JCB, flatbed vehicle and white Audi seen in connection with the incident. Hertfordshire Police said the Baldock incident was linked to the Burwell raid, while Cambridgeshire Police told ITV News Anglia that the latest ATM theft was being linked to the Burwell incident.

Detective Inspector Jim Donington said police understood that the incidents were concerning for local residents, particularly because the Burwell raid was the second such incident in Cambridgeshire within two days.

'Dedicated patrols are in place and we are actively investigating both incidents,' he said.

Police have urged anyone who saw suspicious vehicles or activity around Ramsey at the time of the incident to contact investigators. They are also asking residents and motorists with relevant CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage to submit it to the investigation.

The Ramsey incident remains under investigation under reference 35/44789/26.