Two men have been charged with attempted theft from a cash machine in Paddock Wood.

Police were called at 12.45am on Friday to a report of suspicious activity around an ATM at the Nationwide Building Society in Commercial Road.

Shortly afterwards officers discovered an abandoned vehicle in a field near Queen Street.

A total of seven men were arrested later that day, and two - William Samuel, 36, and Tommy Beaney, 22, both of West Wood Road near Sittingbourne - were charged with attempting to steal cash from a cashpoint.

They appeared via virtual link at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Saturday where they were remanded in custody. They will next appear at Maidstone Crown Court on June 17.

The investigation was conducted by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

The other five men have been released pending further inquiries.