Police are offering advice and upping patrols after yet another ATM raid on a Co-op store in Lincolnshire - this time in Sleaford.

Officers are looking for witnesses, dashcam footage, CCTV, and mobile phone footage to help their investigation after the attempted theft from an ATM at the Co-op store on Lincoln Road at Stump Cross Hill, Sleaford in the early hours of Monday morning.

Lincolnshire Police say they were called to reports that the Co-op had been targeted at 1.47am yesterday morning.

Officers attended and confirmed the front door had been smashed to gain entry and the top of the ATM had been ripped off, but the raiders had failed to steal the cash box but left extensive damage to the ATM and the building.

A police spokesman stated: “There are believed to have been three offenders involved, who were wearing balaclavas and gloves. Our enquiries have revealed that the offenders arrived and left in a blue Isuzu pick-up with partial registration KR65, which is believed to have been stolen from the Leicestershire area.

“The vehicle left the scene and headed onto Sandringham Way towards Stump Cross Hill.”

A spokesperson for Co-op, confirmed the store re-opened later the same day.

Officers say they are “keeping an open mind about the circumstances of this incident, and any related links to other similar incidents in recent months”.

In the last few months Coop stores have been targeted in Scotter on February 25, in Horncastle on March 9, Ruskington on March 14, and in Ancaster on March 23.

The force spokesman said: “We do believe that the vehicle used in this incident may be linked to another unsuccessful break-in at a Co-op in Cherry Willingham over the weekend. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have captured Ring doorbell footage, dashcam footage, CCTV, or mobile phone footage of a vehicle matching that description at either incident to get in touch.

Detective Chief Inspector Rachael Cox is managing the force’s response to ATM break-ins. She said: “Local stores are often in the heart of their community, somewhere people will chat to their neighbours, pick up goods, and a place of employment. When they are targeted there is an impact on everyone from the business owners and the staff employed there, to the people living nearby.

“At this point we are keeping an open mind about the people responsible and any links between the break-ins and thefts, and we can’t rule anything out. There are a number of lines of enquiries we are following, but we are still appealing for information about any of the incidents.

“Alongside our investigations into the five recent incidents, we are working closely with the Lincolnshire Co-op to offer crime prevention advice to help mitigate future attempts, and we’re proactively carrying out street patrols in areas we know may be vulnerable.

“We’d also like to encourage the public to be our eyes and ears and report anything which may seem out of the ordinary. Perhaps you may see someone acting suspiciously by taking photographs of the stores, or driving slowly past on more than one occasion. We’d like to hear about anything of concern, no matter how small you may think it is, as that tiny nugget of information from our communities can often make a case.”

If you saw or heard anything about yesterday’s incident, or have dashcam footage of the surrounding area around the time of the incident, get in touch. Your information could prove vital to our investigation.

You can call 101 or email [email protected] quoting Incident 18 of April 4. Or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or report online https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.