Police are appealing for information after a digger was used to rip a cash machine from the wall of a shop in Co Antrim.
The PSNI was called at around 3.25am this morning after a digger was reported to be on fire outside the shop on Brooke Street in Ahoghill.
The digger is believed to have been stolen from a nearby building site.
Detective Inspector Richard Thornton said there was considerable damage caused to the building in the incident.
Police are appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident and saw what happened, including anyone who saw a silver-coloured 'people carrier' type vehicle, to contact them.
Det Insp Thornton urged businesses to regularly review their crime prevention measures to minimise their risk of becoming a victim of crime.
He encouraged those either using or storing heavy plant machinery, such as diggers or telehandlers on sites, or facilities near commercial premises, to ensure that these machines are kept locked, secured and immobilised to prevent theft.
It is the seventh such theft in Northern Ireland this year.
On 24 March, an ATM in Co Fermanagh was stolen in a similar robbery.
At the time, police said they believed the same criminal gang may be responsible for the spate of ATM thefts.
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: "If the criminal gangs behind these ATM robberies are not stopped there is a real danger many rural communities will lose local access to cash.
"They are attacking local family owned small businesses which are the backbone of the rural economy, providing an invaluable service to the local community.
"The gangs behind these attacks need to be caught and put in jail for a very long time."
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