Police believe the thieves may have spent months planning and digging the tunnel (Picture: Greater Manchester Police)

A ‘significant amount’ of money has been stolen from a Tesco cash machine after thieves dug a 50ft tunnel to gain access to it.

Officers believe the thieves may have spent a number of months digging the tunnel because of the amount of planning involved and the complex nature of the underground structure.

The theft occurred at 6am last Friday at the Liverpool Road Tesco Express in Eccles, Greater Manchester, and police are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

The tunnel was dug under nearby wasteland before thieves gained access to the Tesco store (Picture: Greater Manchester Police)

‘These people had obviously spent a long time plotting this crime and I doubt they would have been able to keep their plans secret for all that time, without telling others about their elaborate scheme,’ explained DS Mark Toker.




Thieves tunnelled under nearby wasteland and took cash boxes from the shop before escaping back down the tunnel.

‘The offenders must have spent long periods of time in the area over the last few months, which people may have noticed,’ said DS Toker.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen people ‘covered in soil’ in the area over the past few months (Picture: Greater Manchester Police)

‘You may have seen people acting suspiciously on Friday night, possibly covered in soil.’

Similar tunnel burglaries have occurred in the Greater Manchester area in the past with the perpetrators dubbed the ‘mole gang’ – although police have not confirmed if this latest incident is linked.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 0161 856 5353 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.