Residents of two quiet English market towns awoke on October 31, 2025, to scenes more befitting a Hollywood heist than their usually tranquil high streets. In the early hours, brazen thieves targeted cash machines in both Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, and Horncastle, Lincolnshire, using heavy plant machinery to rip ATMs from their moorings, leaving behind chaos, destruction, and a shaken sense of security.
According to BBC, the first incident occurred in Chatteris at around 2:00 GMT. Cambridgeshire Police responded to reports that a cash machine had been stolen from a Post Office during a ram-raid. Specialist scenes of crime officers descended on the town centre, launching an investigation into the dramatic theft. The aftermath was plain for all to see: significant damage marred the front of the Post Office, with debris scattered across the High Street. Social media images showed a telehandler—essentially a heavy-duty forklift—abandoned at the junction of Old Auction Yard, a silent witness to the night’s violence.
As officers combed the scene for clues, Cambridgeshire County Council took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge motorists to avoid the area. The High Street was closed for much of the morning, forcing residents to seek alternative routes and compounding the disruption. The council’s message was clear: “Please use alternative routes while police and investigators work at the scene.” The closure underscored the severity of the damage and the need for a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, just under an hour later and about 70 miles away, a similar drama was unfolding in Horncastle, Lincolnshire. Residents there were jolted awake by sirens and the sound of masonry crashing onto pavements. According to Lincolnshire Police, a JCB digger—believed to have been stolen locally—was driven to Lloyds Bank on High Street around 2:50 BST. In a matter of minutes, the machine’s powerful arm tore the ATM from the brickwork, sending rubble flying and leaving the bank’s façade dangerously exposed.
The suspects, evidently well-prepared, abandoned the bulky JCB and made their escape in a second vehicle, thought to be a pickup truck. The speed and coordination of the operation suggested careful planning. Investigators believe the gang selected a narrow window of opportunity, relying on the brute force of the machinery and a swift getaway to evade capture. As one officer put it, “This was a highly unusual incident for Horncastle—a rural market town more used to quiet weekends than heavy plant clattering through its centre.”
Specialist forensic teams arrived at first light, their tasks as much about public safety as evidence gathering. They meticulously photographed tool marks, collected debris, and swabbed the cab and handles of the JCB for any trace of DNA or glove fibres. Engineers were called in to assess the structural integrity of the bank’s frontage, concerned that falling masonry or ruptured cabling could pose ongoing risks to passers-by and neighboring properties. As a precaution, roads around the scene remained restricted for much of the day.
Police in both towns deployed a visible presence in the aftermath, not only to support their investigations but also to reassure rattled residents. Officers on foot patrol canvassed shopkeepers and early risers, gathering eyewitness accounts, dashcam footage, and overnight delivery logs. The public was urged to come forward with any information—no matter how trivial it might seem. Lincolnshire Police, for instance, specifically requested dashcam or helmet-cam video recorded between 2:00 and 3:30 BST, as well as home CCTV or doorbell footage facing High Street or the approach roads. They also asked for reports of a JCB moving at unusual hours, or sightings of a pickup truck parked oddly or carrying heavy items shortly after 3:00 BST.
For the affected businesses and their customers, the impact was immediate and disruptive. The stolen ATMs left a gap in local banking services, with customers advised to use supermarket tills for cashback or seek alternative machines at petrol stations and convenience stores. Many local retailers, fortunately, have embraced contactless payments, allowing high street trade to limp on despite the cordons and closures. Shopkeepers near the damaged sites had to adjust their opening hours while contractors worked to make the buildings safe. Insurers were notified, and business owners were reminded to preserve any overnight security footage for investigators.
Why, one might wonder, are diggers like JCBs becoming the weapon of choice for cash machine raids? According to BBC and local police sources, backhoe loaders and similar plant machinery offer thieves exactly what they need: brute force, height, and speed. A JCB’s front bucket can reach an ATM casing and apply steady prying pressure; once the anchors give way, the machine can yank the safe housing from brickwork in seconds. The noise and destruction are immense, but the window before police arrive is often just enough for a quick escape—especially in rural towns where patrols may be sparse in the small hours.
Plant theft itself is a longstanding rural crime problem. Diggers often sit on building sites or farmyards with keys stored nearby, or with universal starter systems that determined offenders can bypass. Once stolen, a machine becomes a battering ram, used for a single destructive purpose before being abandoned. Investigators then face the task of tracing the machine’s origins and searching for forensic clues left inside the cab.
The risks of such raids extend beyond financial loss. Falling masonry, ruptured cabling, and flying debris all pose real hazards to bystanders and residents living above or adjacent to targeted buildings. Authorities have urged the public to avoid cordoned areas and to report any new structural issues, such as cracks or the smell of gas, as a precaution. Engineers must give the all-clear before anyone can safely return to the affected premises.
Banks and high street businesses have not stood idle in the face of this threat. Most modern ATMs are housed in reinforced casings, and many feature ink-dye systems that stain banknotes if the safe is forced. Protective bollards can deter or slow down a ram-raid, but their effectiveness depends on proper installation and local conditions. Historic town centres with narrow pavements or listed buildings can struggle to install robust barriers without affecting access or heritage features. Meanwhile, construction sites and farms are encouraged to store keys securely, fit immobilisers, and fence machinery behind locked gates. GPS trackers and motion alerts are increasingly common, as are neighborhood phone trees that allow residents to report suspicious activity quickly.
Ultimately, the success of these investigations may hinge on the vigilance of ordinary people. As Lincolnshire Police noted, “Short bursts of vigilance from residents—glancing at a late-night noise, saving a clip, noting a number plate—often crack these cases.” The events of October 31, 2025, serve as a stark reminder that even the quietest towns are not immune to the audacity of modern crime, but also that community awareness and cooperation remain among the most powerful tools in the fight against it.