Shop fire near Leamington

Two fire engines were called to the building in Cressida Close just before 3.30am and it took them three-and-a-half hours to extinguish smoke that had generated as a result of the attempted theft.

Peter Fletcher, general manager of the Heart of England Co-operative Society’s Food Division, said: “We can confirm there was an incident at The Co-operative Food at Warwick Gates.

“The store was closed at the time and no members of staff were affected.

“Our CCTV cameras captured images of five offenders. We know they used cutting tools in their bid to break into the machine and there was also some minor fire damage.

“But the thieves failed in their bid to break into the machine and no cash was stolen.”

Mr Fletcher said that the CCTV footage has been handed over to the police and that the company is working closely with officers in their inquiries.

Up to five people are known to have been involved in the attempted theft which took place at around 2am. They were all wearing masks and used a metal cutting device to attempt to break in to the cash machine.

As a result, smoke generated during the attempted theft set off the smoke alarm.

Anyone who saw the incident or anything suspicious in the area between 12am and 3am is asked to contact the Pc Tony Ryan by calling 415000 ext 4266 or pass on information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.