THE British Transport Police (BTP) is appealing for witnesses after a dramatic ram raid at Haslemere railway station in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A stolen white 4x4 vehicle smashed through the front of the station ticket office at around 2.50am, before the raiders tore open a station cash machine, and made off in a waiting silver car. A large amount of damage was caused to the front of the station, and the cash machine inside the ticket office, which raiders then dumped outside. No one was injured in the raid and BTP said it was unclear how much had been stolen. After the raid, the ticket office was sealed off while police and forensic officers continued their investigations. Surrey Police responded to the incident before handing over to British Transport Police. Commuters arriving at the station on Wednesday morning had to buy their tickets from South West Trains staff using hand-held machines and get to the platforms using a side entrance. South West Trains was keen to point out services had not been disrupted by the incident. British Transport Police Inspector Mick Morriss said: "We believe the motive was to steal money from the ATM. We are appealing for any witnesses, and anyone who saw a silver vehicle in the area, to contact us." Inspector Morriss said the BTP were "keeping an open mind" about whether the raid was linked to similar incidents in London and Dorset. Insp Morriss added: "It's difficult to say at the moment if it can be linked to other incidents. At the moment we can't say it is, but we can't rule it out either." He went on to say that officers were still at the scene and they hoped to recover CCTV footage of the incident. As the Herald went to press, BTP officers remained at the station as the investigation continued. Dion Korving, the owner of the Inn On The Hill pub, which is directly opposite the station, told the Herald, one of the guests had woken up at around 2.30am after hearing noise and said they thought the raiders sounded like teenagers. A spokesman for Southwest Trains said: "We are helping out BTP. It has not affected train services, and there are ticket collectors with hand-held machines outside, while the ticket office is closed. We will assist BTP as best we can." Anyone who witnessed a white or silver 4x4 being driven in the area at the time and then driving off at speed in the direction of Hampshire, or saw people acting suspiciously in the area, should contact BTP on 0800 405040 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 for anyone wishing to remain anonymous.
