THERE are fears criminal gangs have embarked on another spate of cash machine thefts after a digger was used to rip a double ATM from a Tesco supermarket in Antrim town.
Police recovered the two machines after they were taken from the wall of the Tesco Extra store on Castle Way at around 3am today.
They were found on the Birch Hill Road - a few miles from the supermarket - around half an hour after the raid.
It is not known whether money was still in the machines.
The digger was set on fire at the supermarket following the robbery.
Police set up a dedicated taskforce early this year after ATMs across Northern Ireland were targeted in a string of robberies.
The number of smash and grab robberies dropped over late spring and summer.
However, criminals have tried to steal several ATMs over the last few months.
In September, thieves attempted to take a cash machine from a service station in Enniskillen.
Last month, a petrol station's forecourt roof in Ballynahinch, Co Down was torn down in an attempted ATM robbery.
In the same month, thieves tried to rip a cash machine from Belfast City Hospital before ramming the shutters of a string of businesses in the city and Lisburn.
Detective Inspector Richard Thornton said police are investigating if the theft in Antrim was linked to other ATM robberies.
“I want to take this opportunity to appeal to owners of heavy plant machinery to ensure they do everything possible to secure and immobilise equipment. If the diggers cannot be stolen, these attacks cannot take place," he said.
“I would also appeal to the public to report anything suspicious to us.
"It is unusual to see a digger out on the roads in the evening or the middle of the night, so if you do see a digger on the road at these times and think something isn’t quite right, please contact us on the non-emergency number 101 and we can check this out.
"Also, if you see people or vehicles loitering in areas close to ATMs, particularly as some shops may be closed, or hear machinery late at night or in the early hours call us."
Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts branded the theft as "disgraceful".
"In these next few weeks in the run up to Christmas, we would repeat our call for all retailers and businesses who have external ATMs to be vigilant, particularly if they are near building sites with diggers," he said.
"Retail NI would again urge building contractors to review the security of their sites.
"The criminal gangs behind these attacks need to be caught and put in jail for a very long time."
Antrim and Newtownabbey mayor Paul Michael said it was "an attack on the whole community".
"The location of (the) ATMs did not just service Tesco shoppers, but the residents of the whole town."
In recent weeks there have been attempted ATM thefts in Belfast and Ballynahinch.
They followed a spate of cash machines thefts earlier this year with 14 robberies between January and July.
