Digger is left abandoned in an Asda car park after ram-raiders use it to smash a hole in supermarket and flee with cash machine

• Farm vehicle was found abandoned in Asda car park in Tunbridge Wells, Kent 
• Police report claims it was used to ram ATM and steal it at 3.30am today 
• A burglary took place overnight on the same road and incidents are ‘linked’  

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A digger has been found abandoned in a supermarket car park after thieves used it to smash into a cash machine and steal it.

The vehicle was discovered in an Asda car park in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, this morning following reports of a ram-raid at the store at 3.30am. 

They claim it was driven into the side of the shop and the ATM was taken out.

Pictures from the scene show the wall of the building caved in on one side and trolleys squashed under the digger’s wheels. 

The thieves may have struck twice after police received reports of a burglary at a nearby recycling centre overnight on the same road.

The digger was discovered in an Asda car park in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, this morning following reports of a ram-raid at the supermarket at 3.30am

Pictures from the scene show the wall of the building caved in on one side

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 Officers claim they are treating the incidents as ‘linked’ but no arrests have yet been made. 

The shop was forced to close while workers clear up the damage.  

It ‘looks like someone has been doing a bit of late-night shopping’, according to a commuter who passed the supermarket on his ‘eventful’ journey to work.

The police had ‘cordoned off the entire site’ and there was ‘an abandoned digger with a huge hole in the wall where the ATMs were once housed’, he added. 

An Asda spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Our Tunbridge Wells store is temporarily closed following an incident this morning whilst we assist the police with their investigation. 

‘We’d like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience this may cause and will keep them informed about when the store is due to reopen. For any questions in the meantime, customer services is available on 08009520101.’ 

The police had ‘cordoned off the entire site’ and there was ‘an abandoned digger with a huge hole in the wall where the ATMs were once housed’, he added

The digger is pictured in the car park at Asda in Tunbridge Wells, Kent after the ram-raid in the early hours of this morning 

Kent Police’s Detective Inspector James Derham added: ‘The cash machine burglary took place in a busy industrial area of the town and we are asking for witnesses who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously or saw a large vehicle leaving the North Farm Estate area around the time of the incident.

‘Anyone who has any information or who has CCTV or dashcam footage that may assist the investigation is asked to call Kent Police on 01622 604100 quoting 04-121

‘Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity ‘Crimestoppers in Kent’ anonymously on 0800 555111.’

The digger ran over and destroyed a number of trolleys from the Asda car park as well  

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