• Gang ram-raided shop and stole ATM
  • Witnesses tell of shock
  • Baker who saw drama unfold speaks exclusively to The Press
  • Second witness: "The roof fell down and nearly hit one of the raiders."
  • Helicopter involved in hunt for raiders

A MANHUNT is continuing for a gang who ram-raided a York shop and tore a cash machine out of the wall.

>>> 24 pictures from the 999 scene at Haxby

Police were called at 2.25am on Thursday after an automatic alarm sounded at the Co-op store in Ryedale Court, Haxby.

The yellow telehandler used to rip out the machine was abandoned at the scene and the gang fled in other vehicles with the ATM.

The shop has since reopened.

Farmer Stuart Stark, 56, of Fridlington Farms, Sutton on the Forest, realised his machine had been used in the raid when his son spotted a picture on Facebook.

He said: “I was shocked to see it had been used for that.

“It was stolen on Wednesday night and my pig farmer woke up to find it had gone.

“My son works in the business and said he saw a picture of a JCB on Facebook.  When he zoomed in he realised it was a Caterpillar and it was ours.

“We’ve had the odd tractor pinched but couldn’t believe it when we saw it had been used in the raid.

“It must be about three miles to Haxby but you can move them no problem and as they are quite quick machines.”

The father-of-two bought the machine, which is valued at £9,500, three years ago.

He added: “It’s a Telescopic Handler that is used for general farm duties.

“We thought it had been stolen to be exported as they are usually put in a container and taken abroad.

“I imagine the police will be doing some forensic work then we will be allowed to have it back.

“It’s been inconvenient for us not to have it but we’ve managed and will get it back.”

Tracey Prangnell, the Co-op's duty manager, said she was shocked by what she had seen on the CCTV cameras from inside the store.

She said: "The police have all the tapes and I can't really say what was on them, only that it was like something from Crimewatch.

"You don't actually expect this sort of thing to happen in your village.

"I was gutted when I first saw the damage. It's just mindless. Luckily, no one was hurt."

She said there was now added security in the store, which reopened at about 1.30pm on Thursday.

Eyewitness Pete Holodnyj, 26, had arrived at work at Haxby Bakehouse at 2.20am to start making bread, and five minutes later heard noises like from a building site.

Speaking exclusively to The Press, he said he had put his head out the door and saw movement by the Co-op. He said: “There were three men with a digger taking the cash point.

“I shut the door, locked it, and called the police. The police came quickly, in about three minutes, but by the time they got there they had gone.”

He said the men left in two vehicles – a pick-up truck and a white VW Golf.

The incident follows a spate of similar attacks in the country.

In the same night as the Haxby attack, it has been reported that thieves targeted a cash machine at the Co-op in Ibstock, Leicestershire while four machines have been ripped from Co-op shops in Sapcote, Asfordby, Whetstone and Newbold Verdon in recent months.

A stolen digger was used in each raid, with thieves loading the cash machines on to second vehicles before fleeing.

In Haxby, eyewitnesses reported seeing a gang of at least four men attacking the shop very early this morning.

Amanda Nicholson, who lives opposite the shop, said she and her husband were woken just before 2.30am, and called the police giving them a blow-by-blow account of the raid.

She said: "I saw a tractor or a fork-lift type vehicle going backwards and forwards into the building, and then the wall fell in.

"The cash machine fell onto the floor, and they picked it up and plonked it on the back of a truck.

"The roof fell down and nearly hit one of the raiders, but he jumped out of the way just in time.

"It all happened so quickly, I didn't see any faces. It was like watching a video or something."

York Press:
This picture was tweeted by Haxby Town Council.

The raiders - who were all in dark clothes and hats - sped off in the truck and another car along station road, she added.

OTHER HEADLINES

Police are now making extensive enquiries to identify those involved and urge any witnesses to come forward - and have called in the police helicopter based at Carr Gate, Wakefield, to help in the search.

Detective Inspector Andrea Kell, of York CID, said: “The investigation is at a very early stage and we are trying to gather as much information as possible to help with our enquiries.

“I am appealing to anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area in the early hours of Thursday morning to get in touch with the police or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.”

Jenny Bell, clerk of the town council, said: "All I know was a JCB drove into the front of the Co-op. It's still there and whoever did it has taken away the cash machine; it's now missing. How they took it away I do not know."

York Press:

York Press:

Picture: Paul Jackson

Over the road, staff at Haxby Butchers said they saw the police cordons and first heard about the raid when they arrived for work at 8am.

Jack Young said: "I only live on Usher Lane, it's not far away, but I didn't hear any sirens or any alarms.

"You can hear the church bells clear as day, so you'd think we would have heard something. This is like something you read about - not something that happens in Haxby."

>>> GALLERY: 24 photos from the scene

Sue Eason, the manager of nearby Aroma Coffee Shop, spoke of her shock at seeing the destruction left behind: "We came in at 8.15am and it was all cordoned off. I saw a huge yellow digger which I thought was holding the structure up, but it turns out that's what they used to get the cash machine out.

"Nothing like this happens in Haxby, and it worries me for our security here.

"There were bollards outside the cash machine, but that vehicle's obviously flattened them."

A spokesman from the Co-op said: "The store is currently closed due to the damage caused, but we are working hard to reopen the store later today. We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused while the store is closed.

“As with any incident such as this, we would appeal for anyone with information to come forward.”

>>> Can you help police?

Please quote reference 12150011758 when passing on information.