Thieves lose cash machine after village store ram raid (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Thieves lose cash machine after ram raiding store at Scorton, near Richmond

11:32am Thursday 25th October 2012 in News By Ashley Barnard, Reporter (Richmond)

RAIDERS who ram-raided a village shop left empty handed after a cash machine tumbled off the back of their getaway pick-up truck.

The pick-up was reversed through the front window and door of The Village Store in Scorton, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, at about 1am this morning (Thursday, October 25).

Tony Simms, who has run the store for the past nine years with his wife Alison, said: "The machine was apparently put on the back of a pick-up vehicle and fell off - so the police have recovered it.

"There would have been a minimal amount of cash in there, we fill it up ourselves from the business and it usually runs out by the end of the day."

He added: “We hope to be back in later today (Thursday, October 25). They have made a mess of our front windows and door but towards the back of the store there is hardly any disruption at all.

“We will be trading out of the van until then so people can still get a paper and bread.”

North Yorkshire Police were at the scene and said they would be conducting house to house enquiries later today.