News

In battle between Range Rover and Beemer, ATM-users lose

May 2, 2017

Criminals who succeeded at ripping an ATM from the wall of a Lloyds Bank branch in the English village of Bourton-on-the-water early Friday had to abandon their prize when the landlord of a local pub rolled up to the scene in his BMW in an attempt to intervene, according to a report by the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard.

The gang used a stolen excavator to dislodge the machine, which they were attempting to load into a waiting Land Rover when Tony Hughes showed up at 4 a.m., blocking their escape. The Land Rover driver rammed the BMW several times before making a getaway. 

Residents expressed dismay about the ATM attack, which leaves Bourton, a popular tourist town in the Cotswolds, without a cash machine, a report by Gloucestershire Live said.

"This is the third ATM raid in this one village in 17 months," resident Sean Maffett wrote in a letter to local authorities. "We now have no ATMs in this large tourist center, since neither of the other two have been replaced. How is it that the police apparently have no idea who may be conducting these raids."

The problem of not having an available ATM is evident, Maffett told Gloucestershire Live. "[O]f course, it's bank holiday weekend — and interestingly, you should see the hordes of Bourton tourists milling around wondering where to get cash."