Arrests after cash machine is blown up

POLICE have arrested a man after a cash machine in Fishponds Road was destroyed in an explosion that could be heard two miles away.

The free-standing ATM outside the Lodge House Department for Work and Pensions offices was destroyed at around 4am on Monday May 8, the Coronation bank holiday.

The explosion also damaged nearby parked cars, a bus stop, the exterior wall of Lodge House, a tree and road signs for the nearby Lodge Causeway junction.

The noise could be heard up to two miles away, with residents of Mangotsfield and Bromley Heath posting on social media to report hearing a loud bang at the time of the incident.

Avon & Somerset police have not confirmed whether gas canisters were used in the explosion - a technique used by criminals hundreds of times in recent years to attack cash machines.

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They have also not confirmed how much cash, if any, was taken.

A spokesperson said a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of theft and arson while reckless as to whether life was endangered, on May 9. He was then bailed pending further investigation.

The spokesperson said enquiries into the incident continued and appealed for or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage that could help the police to call 101 and quote the crime reference number 5223 106 495.

The Cash Zone-branded machine belonged to independent operator Cardtronics, which has not responded to a request for more information about whether the ATM and attached payphone were operational at the time of the incident, how much cash is thought to have been stolen, the value of the machine or whether there are any plans to replace it.