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One arrest after raiders rip cash machine from Tesco at Pembury with stolen JCB digger

A 28-year-old has been quizzed by detectives investigating a ram-raid in which a stolen JCB digger was used to rip two cash machines from a Pembury supermarket.

The Maidstone man was arrested on suspicion of theft after raiders smashed the JCB into the Tesco store, at Woodsgate Corner near the A21, at about 3am on August 8.

Two cash machines and their contents were found missing, and were recovered near Marden later that day.

An ATM ripped from Tesco in Pembury with a stolen digger. Picture: Craig Stroud
An ATM ripped from Tesco in Pembury with a stolen digger. Picture: Craig Stroud

Kent Police earlier said the digger had been stolen from next-door Notcutts garden centre.

The bucket of the digger is believed to have been used to rip open the cash machines.

DC Darren Reynolds, who is leading the investigation, said: "The cash machines are still being subjected to forensic analysis but it appears their contents have not been extracted by the thieves."


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The suspect has been bailed until September 19.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident can contact DC Reynolds at Kent Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit quoting crime number YY/15301/13, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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An ATM ripped from Tesco in Pembury with a stolen digger. Picture: Craig Stroud
An ATM ripped from Tesco in Pembury with a stolen digger. Picture: Craig Stroud
An abandoned stolen digger after being used to rip a cash machine from Tesco in Pembury. Picture: Craig Stroud
An abandoned stolen digger after being used to rip a cash machine from Tesco in Pembury. Picture: Craig Stroud
Digger used to rip an ATM from Tesco in Pembury. Picture: Mick Lawrence
Digger used to rip an ATM from Tesco in Pembury. Picture: Mick Lawrence

Speaking on the day, delivery driver Mick Lawrence said he arrived at 5.30am to find police had taped off the front of the store.

He said: "The digger has smashed a hole through the garden centre hedge and driven across the Pembury Road and into the Tesco car park.

"It has then gone through the car park hedges and then ripped open the cash machine."

The mangled wreckage of the cash machine ripped out of the wall at Tesco in Pembury. Picture: Martin Apps
The mangled wreckage of the cash machine ripped out of the wall at Tesco in Pembury. Picture: Martin Apps
A section of the Tesco car park was cordoned off after a ram-raid. Picture: Martin Apps
A section of the Tesco car park was cordoned off after a ram-raid. Picture: Martin Apps
The spot where the stolen JCB digger was driven through the hedge from Notcutts garden centre. Picture: Martin Apps
The spot where the stolen JCB digger was driven through the hedge from Notcutts garden centre. Picture: Martin Apps

Mr Lawrence added: "The store guy saw a pick-up truck pull up with its lights off just before it happened.

"He said to me that it was strange that it was driving around with no lights on."

A Tesco spokesman said: "This is now a police matter and we will be helping with their investigation in any way we can."

Witnesses or anyone with information is urged to phone police on 101.

Scene of the ram-raid at Tesco. Video: Martin Apps

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