CO E T
one man arrested for Cashpoint robbering
in hampshire
crime reporter,hampshire(wp/sky)
A 26-year-old man was arrested after thieves used explosives to blow up a petrol station cashpoint.
Police were called to the Texaco garage in Weyhill, Hampshire at 4am on Sunday, where they found the stand-alone cash machine had been blown open and the money from inside stolen.
Officers were called to the scene after a neighbour had reported hearing a loud bang.
The man, from Bristol, was arrested on suspicion of theft and causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property.
CCTV footage of the explosion was released by Hampshire Police.
Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Murray said: "Although this was a relatively contained explosion and fortunately no one was injured, the unpredictable nature of this type of offence means we could easily have been dealing with serious injury or death.
"Our priority is to keep the public safe and by showing this CCTV footage, we hope it highlights how potentially dangerous an explosion of this type can be.
"We are aware of crimes of this nature occurring in mainland Europe which have had serious consequences and our advice to anyone using a cashpoint is to be extremely vigilant of any suspicious activity nearby.
"If you notice anything unusual, or see any wires or cables running from the machine, do not attempt to touch it and call the police immediately."
He said detectives were following up a number of enquiries and appealed for anyone with information that may assist the investigation to contact police.
