Thieves blow up cash machine

At around 3.20am this morning (Friday), Merseyside Police attended a report of an explosion at Bargain Booze on Hamilton Road, causing extensive damage but no injuries.

It is believed that three men dressed in black entered the ATM and caused an explosion, taking off with an amount of cash. Merseyside Fire and Rescue service attended and assessed the building, which was declared as safe. It is believed that the men drove off in a black VW Golf towards Victoria Road. Forensic, witness and CCTV enquiries are ongoing at the location. Detective Chief Inspector Chris Sephton said: "This incident highlights an extremely dangerous tactic in targeting ATM machines, which clearly put members of the public at risk. The techniques used by the men involved in this robbery are reckless in the extreme and it is only through good fortune that no-one was hurt. "We are keen to speak to anyone who saw any suspicious activity in and around Hamilton Road in the early hours, or if you were passing and have any dashcam footage.

"We are determined to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. We believe that they spoke with Liverpool accents and may have dumped the vehicle so if you have seen a suspicious black VW Golf which isn't usually in your street, let us know." Anyone with information is asked to call 101. You can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously and for free on 0800 555 111 or via their online form: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information-online.