Another Co-op cash machine has been raided

The Co-op cash machine has been targeted by thieves

This is following a number of similar incidents around Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.

Detectives in Rotherham are investigating the theft of cash from supermarket ATM machine.

At around 2.55am today (Friday, September 14), officers responded to an alarm activation at The Co-op on Main Street in Swallownest.

On arrival, officers found that offenders had used possible gas canisters to break-into the ATM and steal a quantity of cash.

An investigation has been launched and officers are treating the incident as linked to similar incidents in South Yorkshire.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 86 of September 14.

A Co-op spokesman said: “As a community retailer, our ambition is for stores to be at the heart of local life, connecting communities and bringing people together.

"There are many in our communities - including the more vulnerable in society and, many local small businesses - who rely on access to cash.

"The provision of financial services, such as a free ATM, is widely considered to be an essential service, supporting local economies and promoting financial inclusion. ATM crime affects all retailers.

"Safety and security is a number one priority, and the Co-op works closely with Police, other crime prevention bodies and its ATM operator, employing a range of measures designed to deter and disrupt criminal activity, and also increasing the likelihood of capture and conviction.”

In May, the Co-op petrol station and shop on nearby Worksop Road, Aston, was targeted by raiders who used a JCB to pull a cash machine from the exterior wall of the store.

And the McColls supermarket, just a few hundred yards away from the petrol station, has been the scene of a number of raids.

There has also been cash machine raids in Nottinghamshire including thieves 'blowing up' a cash machine at the Co-op in Huthwaitem and the Co-op in Selston and a ram raid at Edwinstowe Leisure Centre.