Bungling thieves pull an ‘Italian Job’ in ATM blast

DESTROYED The scene THIEVES used explosives to blow up a cash machine in a blast that knocked down trees and signposts and could be felt two miles away.

The explosion at a retail park, which sounded like a bomb, shot the standalone ATM 30ft along a car park. Resident Harry Chown, 28, who lives just 500ft away, was woken by a “violent explosion that shook my house”. The civil servant added: “The thieves have gone overkill. The ATM has been obliterated.”

Referring to the 1969 Michael Caine film about gold thieves, he joked: “It had shades of The Italian Job. They’ll be saying, ‘You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off’.”

Police said of Wednesday night’s raid in Darlington, Co Durham: “It’s not yet known if the suspects managed to get away with any cash as investigations are in the early stages.”