A GANG shocked police by stealing a whole cash machine from a petrol station — a week after a crime crackdown was launched at the garage.

Detectives said ‘professional criminals’ had carried out a ‘very unusual’ and ‘audacious’ burglary.

First they forced open a back door with crowbars at Texaco Kams Service Station, Whalley Road, Simonstone, before using an angle grinder to cut through a lock allowing them access to the ATM.

Police said the machine - the size of a large fridge and containing thousands of pounds - was then taken to a nearby vehicle.

A week ago police used the garage to launch ‘Forecourt Watch’ which saw them join forces with the British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) and independent retailers to tackle motorists who fill up and drive off from service stations across the Ribble Valley without paying.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Watson, from Ribble Valley CID, said this type of raid was ‘very unusual’ in the area.

He said: "This was an audacious burglary by a gang of professional criminals where a substantial amount of money was stolen.

"I would like to speak to anyone who may have seen people acting suspiciously around the service station at the time of the raid."

Today police were trying to trace a hi-spec Audi or BMW which was seen on the forecourt of the garage at the same time as the burglary at 12.50am yesterday.

The raiders activated an alarm which alerted security staff who contacted the police.

DS Watson, said: "We believe that the car with four or five people on board made off towards the Burnley area.

"If someone saw this vehicle then they should get in contact with the police immediately."

Catherine Turner, manager of the garage, said she had been left shocked.

She said: "As far as I know they have taken everything in it.

"They have left the back room in a bit of a state because they used a crowbar and an angle grinder to get to the machine."

Ms Turner said there was an attempt to steal cash intended for the machine two years ago when robbers armed with sledgehammers attacked guards delivering money.

A spokesperson for Alliance and Leicester, which operated the cashpoint, said: “We can confirm that an incident occurred at the Santander branch in Read and that we are working with the police to fully investigate.”