THIEVES who used a stolen vehicle to steal a cash machine from a petrol station near York have cost its owner thousands of pounds.

Part of the petrol station was demolished during the theft, when the thieves used a stolen £15,000 telehandler - a forklift style vehicle - to ram the wall and remove the cash machine.

Police were guarding the scene at the Gulf petrol station on the A1079 near Dunnington throughout the day yesterday, where the ATM was ripped from the wall of the Londis convenience store.

Richard Thrower, area manager of Penny Petroleum who own the site, said: "We were called out by the security firm at about 2am.

"We think they have stolen the forklift from a local firm and they have come straight in and taken the end of the building out."

Helen Coates is the site manager and took the call from the alarm company at 2am.

She said: "There were about three police vans on the scene by about 2.30am and the helicopter had been out trying to catch them.

"The building is pretty well damaged. Police want to process the scene. But the main way in would be by opening the shutters and they are worried the vibrations of the shutter opening could cause more damage."

Paul West, owner of P&T Contracts in Westfield, said thieves cut through fences to steal the green Merlo telehandler, which was dumped at the petrol station.

He said: "They used oxyacetylene gas cutters so it was a professional job.

"One of the lads phoned me up to say 'you won't believe it, but I've just passed the garage and I think it's our forklift that's been used to steal the cash machine'. I was very surprised."

Mr West said the fence had now been fixed, but he had been forced to send home seven workers and hire in a replacement vehicle for jobs on Monday, and with recovery costs for the stolen vehicle, he was out of pocket by about £12,000.

He said: "I'm traumatised and in a state of shock. This is a family business, we've been trading for 25 years, based here for about 15 years. I've built this up from nothing."

North Yorkshire Police said it was too early to say whether the incident was related to a string of ATM thefts around Yorkshire in recent months, but they want to hear from anyone who was on the road in the early hours of Monday, and who saw a convoy of a white transit-style van, a forklift truck and a medium-sized saloon car close to the A1079.

One corner of the building is now little more than rubble, and structural engineers were called to the site to examine the damage. Joists were put in place, and staff were allowed back into the building by about 2pm, when the petrol station reopened, but extensive repairs will be required.

Anyone with any information or who saw anything suspicious in the Dunnington area should contact the York Serious Crime Team on 101, or email kevin.goodman@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

Previous ATM Thefts

This is the latest in a string of at least ten ATM thefts in similar circumstances which have been reported around York, North Yorkshire and into South Yorkshire since the beginning of the year.

In May, four men were arrested after they were caught by police trying to steal a freestanding ATM from York Road, Elvington. They were later charged with the offence, and failing to stop for police.

In January, thieves used a JCB to steal a cash machine from the wall of the CoOp in Haxby, and reports have been received by South Yorkshire and Humberside Police forces of stolen vehicles including JCBs and 4x4s being used to remove ATMs from brick walls or by smashing their way into garages to access the cash machines, before dragging them away.

Three men, aged 27, 26 and 25, from the Doncaster area were arrested in March in connection with a number of similar offences across the region, and remain on police bail.