Investigation launched after cash machine ripped from wall in Lakenheath
A JCB telehandler was used to rip the machine from the wall at the Co-op in High Street
Police have launched an investigation after a cash machine was stolen in an early-morning raid on a supermarket in Co-op on High Street in Lakenheath.
Officers were called at about 3.45am on Wednesday 24 June after a JCB telehandler was used to pull the ATM from the building. The machine was then loaded into a black Nissan Navara, which left the scene in convoy with a blue Volkswagen Golf R towards Brandon.
The force said officers arrived within minutes and began an immediate search, with support from Norfolk Police.
Around 4.30am, the Navara was found just over the county border at Cowle’s Drove in Hockwold cum Wilton. It had been set on fire and the stolen cash machine was recovered nearby.
As officers moved in, they spotted a vehicle matching the description of the Golf R leaving the area. A stinger device was deployed, deflating a tyre, but the car continued before coming off the road at Mill Drift and becoming stuck in mud. The occupants fled on foot.
A search involving the National Police Air Service was launched, but no arrests were made overnight.
Later, at 8.25am, a second black Nissan Navara was found abandoned on farmland north of RAF Lakenheath. Police are still working to establish whether it is linked to the raid.
A section of High Street remains closed while investigations continue, with forensic teams examining multiple scenes.
Police are appealing for witnesses and asking drivers in the area at the time to check any dashcam footage that could assist the investigation.