LLOYDS Bank in The Square re-opened on Monday morning, two weeks after its cash point machine was ripped out of the wall during an early morning ram raid attack.

The hole left in the wall of the grade II listed building in Liphook, has now been secured and will be repaired in the coming weeks, the bank confirmed this week.

A Lloyds Bank spokesman told The Herald: “We are delighted staff are now back in the branch and it is business as usual – minus the ATM machine, of course. At this stage customer safety is our main priority, as is our personal service.

“Further repairs will be carried out but no completion date has been set as yet.

“Under the present review strategy, there are no plans to close the Liphook Branch. We will continue to review our presence on the High Street to ensure our branches are located in the right places.

“Whenever the difficult decision to close one of our branches is made, our colleagues, customers and the local community will be the first ones to know.”

A 23-year-old man from Bordon, who was arrested by Hampshire Police detectives after the theft on March 3, was released pending further inquiries.

Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council had written to Lloyds asking for the branch to be re-opened as soon as possible, after the ram raid which caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

At a meeting four days after the raid, councillors discussed the plight – especially of the older generation living in the parish – who had been left stranded with fears the bank will close permanently because of the cost of repairing it.

Lloyd’s staff relocated to the Haslemere branch temporarily. A sign outside stated it was closed due to ‘unforseen circumstances’ pointing customers in the direction of its Haslemere and Petersfield branches.

Police are still appealing for witnesses and anyone with information on the raid should call 101 quoting 44180081365 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.