Brazen thieves have been caught on camera smashing through bollards at a shopping centre using a front-end loader before making off with an ATM.

CCTV footage showed the heavy machinery outside Stockton North Shore shopping centre in the Townsville suburb of Burdell, Queensland, at 3am on Monday.

The loader rammed into the bollards once, partially knocking one of them over.

CCTV showed front-end loader outside of Stockton North Shore at 3am on Monday

The driver then reversed and slammed into them again and knocked over all three before the bandits entered the centre forecourt.

Footage showed the front-end loader manoeuvre around an advertising board before it scooped up the Commonwealth Bank ATM and drove off.

Queensland Police said the machine and the empty ATM were later found in the grounds of a primary school.

Malcolm Miller, Stocklands North Shore centre manager, told the Townsville Bulletin he believed the offender knew what they were doing as no damage was done besides the bollards.

'We had a front-end loader drive through the impact bollards, picked up an ATM, and drove off,' he said.

'It's not affected the trading.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

A thief used the heavy machinery to smash through bollards and steal an ATM