A FARNHAM supermarket was the victim of an armed ram raid during the early hours of Tuesday when robbers driving a stolen vehicle smashed through the entrance lobby and made off with a cash dispensing machine. At around 1.20am robbers, wearing balaclavas and dark clothes, crashed through the glass doors of the Waitrose supermarket in the Lion and Lamb Yard with a Mitsubishi Shogun and began brandishing their weapons at frightened nightshift staff. According to police, staff were able to quickly escape upstairs unscathed. However, one employee was struck by a member of the gang before they bundled the cash machine into the back of a second vehicle and drove away. The Mitsubishi, which had been stolen from Mytchett on December 2, was left at the scene. Police say they have received further reports of an estate vehicle which had been burnt out and abandoned in Eversley, Hampshire, and enquiries are currently under way to ascertain whether this vehicle is connected to the robbery at Waitrose. The staff member is believed to be not seriously hurt. Waitrose branch manager Tony Probert said: "We had a night team on duty at the time stacking shelves and I got a call from them at around 1.50 am to let me know what had happened. "They did exactly the right thing and got themselves out of the way and called the police. It was a very frightening experience for them. It was very frightening for them to see these intruders on the premises at that time of the morning. The attackers looked very intimidating in their black clothes and balaclavas. They got the ATM machine, but didn't take anything else. "This is a shock for everyone, not just for the staff, but also for residents in Farnham. I've spoken to lots of customers since this happened and people have said to me that this is not something we expect to happen in this town, so it really does bring it home to you that this sort of thing can happen anywhere. "The night staff acted with tremendous resilience after the attack. They just got on with their duties and got all the stock out before we opened at 8am. They acted in absolutely the right way and all credit to them. I can't praise them enough." A spokesman for Lloyds TSB, which owns the machine at Waitrose, said: "We can confirm that the incident took place at 1.20am on Tuesday morning and are working closely with the police in their investigation." Detective Constable Kevin Ford, who is investigating the incident, said: "Thankfully, incidents of this nature are extremely rare in Surrey. We are currently carrying out an extensive investigation to find those responsible and would like to stress that offences of this nature will not be tolerated. "The Mitsubishi which was left at the supermarket is currently undergoing a full forensic examination and we are also carrying out a number of enquiries in relation to the burnt-out vehicle to establish whether it was used in the raid. "We are also speaking to a number of witnesses and would encourage anyone who has not already spoken to police or with any information to come forward." Anyone with information should contact Dc Kevin Ford or investigating officer Barry Jutsum on 0845 125 2222, quoting crime reference number C/07/22880, or to leave information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
