A cash machine has been torn from the wall of a bank in Co Monaghan in the latest in a spate of ATM thefts.
A digger was used to pull the machine from the AIB on Main Street in Castleblayney this morning.
When gardaí were called to the scene at around 3am, they found a John Deere tractor and a trailer blocking York Street in the town.
The digger's engine was still running.
A dark 4x4, with the ATM on a trailer, was seen travelling towards Co Armagh.
The scene in Castleblayney was sealed off this morning.
The stolen digger remains at the scene outside AIB in Castleblayney this morning @rtenews pic.twitter.com/PcnYIO4s0s
— Sinéad Hussey (@SineadHus) April 3, 2019
The theft came just two days after a cash machine was ripped from the wall of a shop in Ahoghill, Co Antrim, early on Monday.
Last month the PSNI announced the creation of a dedicated task force to investigate cash machine thefts, following a surge in the number of cash machines stolen from rural areas.
The PSNI said there have been seven ATM thefts this year, with a further two since the recent spate started in October 2018.
A cash machine was also stolen in Cavan earlier this year.
Police said several gangs are behind the robberies.