Midnight heist comes as UK supermarkets work round the clock to replenish shelves

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Thieves used a huge digger to carry out a ram raid on a Tesco Extra store in Kent.

ATMs were ripped from the wall in the midnight heist. Two police vehicles which tried to stop the criminals getting away were smashed.

The raid comes as staff at supermarkets across the country work round the clock during the coronavirus crisis to ensure shelves are replenished amid panic stockpiling.

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Tesco said the store in Whitfield, near Dover, remained open on Monday. Police have launched an investigation to track down those responsible.

Two cash machines were wrenched off the wall and loaded on to a flat-bed truck during the raid, at about 12.30am on Monday. It is not yet known how much cash was in the ATMs.

The truck carrying them was driven away in convoy with two Mitsubishi Shoguns. Officers tried to stop the group but two police vehicles were rammed and damaged in Old Park Hill, Dover, during the getaway.

No serious injuries were reported, Kent police said.

A Tesco spokesman said: “Our Dover Extra is open and serving customers as normal following the incident last night and we’re helping police with their inquiries.”