Thieves blew up an ATM in Boothstown, Worsley in the early hours of this morning, causing ‘a massive explosion’.
At around 2am on Monday 26 October, residents described hearing a huge bang at a parade of shops on Standfield Drive, Boothstown.
Witnesses reported that two men on a motorbike were seen driving away from the scene.
The thieves are described as wearing dark clothing, with one carrying a green holdall.
Police were called to the Standfield Shopping Precinct, off Simpson Road, to find the standalone cash machine blown open using some kind of explosive gas.
The standalone ATM – not linked to a particular bank – was damaged in the attack, but police said the thieves fled empty handed.
The scene at Standfield Drive Boothstown
One local resident, who did not want to be named, said: “It was about 2 o’clock this morning, we heard a massive explosion.
“We’ve heard a couple of crashes outside but nothing like this.
“It was like a bomb going off, it was scary.
“We heard a motorbike speeding off shortly after.
“We didn’t know what it was until my partner went to the shop this morning and saw a policeman sat there guarding the ATM.”
Anybody with information should contact police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The technique is becoming more popular with thieves in the UK.
There are thought to have been more than 100 similar attacks since 2013.
Combustible gas is pumped into the cash dispenser before a trigger device is activated to force open the front of the cashpoint, allowing access to cash boxes inside.
In the early hours of Saturday 15 August unknown offenders tried the same trick on a Barclays Bank ATM in Cadishead, pumping gas into the cash machine mecahnism, but also failed to get away with any money.
Read: Failed ATM gas attack on Cadishead Barclays Bank
