A Premier store in West Sussex has become the latest in a long list in the country to be targeted by ram-raiders.
A gang failed in its attempt to steal the cash machine from Copthorne Village Stores, but caused more than £10,000-worth of damage by reversing a 4x4 vehicle through the shop front at 2am on October 10.
Undeterred, the team of young retailers at the store set about clearing up the mess just hours after the raid and opened at 6.30am the next morning.
Co-owner Sutha Siva told Convenience Store: "We saw everything happen from the window above the shop. The car suddenly reversed straight through the front window. There was a huge crash and it was pretty scary."
The gang members were caught on CCTV but were wearing balaclavas. They tied a rope around the ATM machine but managed to rip only the top from its base.
Sutha, who has run the store with fellow retailer David Vasthiya for three years, added: "I didn't think anything like this would ever happen here. All of our customers have been really nice and asked us how we are."
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "There have been a considerable number of this type of incident in recent months in Sussex and across the country as a whole.
"It is viewed by criminals as an easier option than holding up a store."
The latest attempt comes as a gang responsible for 25 ram-raids across East Anglia await sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court. The gang of seven were caught as part of Operation Arctic which investigated 80 attacks on c-stores and post offices in the area throughout 2004-2005.
A gang failed in its attempt to steal the cash machine from Copthorne Village Stores, but caused more than £10,000-worth of damage by reversing a 4x4 vehicle through the shop front at 2am on October 10.
Undeterred, the team of young retailers at the store set about clearing up the mess just hours after the raid and opened at 6.30am the next morning.
Co-owner Sutha Siva told Convenience Store: "We saw everything happen from the window above the shop. The car suddenly reversed straight through the front window. There was a huge crash and it was pretty scary."
The gang members were caught on CCTV but were wearing balaclavas. They tied a rope around the ATM machine but managed to rip only the top from its base.
Sutha, who has run the store with fellow retailer David Vasthiya for three years, added: "I didn't think anything like this would ever happen here. All of our customers have been really nice and asked us how we are."
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "There have been a considerable number of this type of incident in recent months in Sussex and across the country as a whole.
"It is viewed by criminals as an easier option than holding up a store."
The latest attempt comes as a gang responsible for 25 ram-raids across East Anglia await sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court. The gang of seven were caught as part of Operation Arctic which investigated 80 attacks on c-stores and post offices in the area throughout 2004-2005.
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