A TRACTOR stolen from a riding stables in Churt was used in a ram raid on an ATM three miles away in Lindford in the early hours of Sunday, January 28.

Just after 2.20am on January 28 offenders used a John Deere ‘telehandler’ tractor to smash part of a wall at the village’s SPAR store and pull the ATM out of the building.

The cash machine, installed less than a week previously, was then driven away on the back of a dark coloured pick-up vehicle.

The tractor stolen from Mayfair Farm Riding Stables in Churt Road was abandoned at the scene.

The ram raid was captured on the Spar’s CCTV (see below) and the police are appealing for anyone with information that could help its investigation to get in touch.

“We’d like to speak to anyone who has any information about the ram raid incident or the theft of the telehandler,” Detective Constable Jo Martindale said.

SPAR owner Julian Taylor-Green said the raid was carried out with “such ferocity” it damaged the roof and left internal walls “structurally unsafe”.

He estimated repair costs will run into thousands of pounds.

In a Facebook post, Mayfair Farm Riding Stables said it was “lost for words” following the incident.

“Last night someone stole our telehandler tractor from our hard standing, this is an integral part of our farming lives and we need it to feed our fields and barns,” the farm added.

“Please - anyone who may have seen something unusual, can you come forward. Right now we are struggling to see why a human would do this to anyone.”

Stable staff also explained they had collected “clear images and time stamps of the theft”.

“CCTV footage is a wonderful invention,” they said.

Anyone with information should contact Hampshire Constabulary on 101 quoting 44180036125.