Witness appeal following ram raid at Waitrose in Goldington Road, Bedford

Waitrose is to ban sales of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 Picture: Waitrose/PA Wire

It happened around 11.50pm, when offenders using a stolen black Audi Q5 removed the supermarket’s ATM machine. They then placed it in the boot of a dark coloured Audi A3 and left in the direction of the A421 towards Great Barford.

Detective Constable Andy Boston, investigating, said: “We believe there were around five people involved in the ram raid, which caused structural damage to the premises. We are keen to trace the people responsible and so would urge anyone who may have any information about this incident, no matter how small, to get in touch.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact DC Boston via 101 quoting Op Linhouse. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Advice to businesses:

• Ensure all windows and doors are locked that are not in use and all secured at the end of the working day.

• Try to block any main access points from the road. For example if your shop is located on a high street, try to ensure a vehicle is parked outside.

• If there is a car park for the location, explore whether this can be blocked off in any way after the hours of business.

• If you do have an ATM machine, ensure it is highly secured and in a position that is not easy to access. Ensure it is covered by CCTV.

• Do you have anti-ram bollards installed? Although there may be cost implications initially, this could be a lot less than the repair and recovery cost.

• Ensure that your alarm is in full working order.

• Ensure that your CCTV system is in full working order and that the camera lenses are not obscured by cobwebs or overgrown greenery.

• Make it obvious that CCTV is monitoring by displaying bright signage both internally and externally.

• Speak to any neighbouring properties; ensure they call the police if anything suspicious is seen