Village shop ram raided by masked thief who stole till

A ram raider used a van to repeatedly smash into the front of a village shop before leaping over the counter to grab its till.
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The grocery shop in The Villas in Thornley was targeted by the thief, who had pulled a balaclava over their face before launching the early hours attack using a van.

Witnesses have told detectives from Durham Constabulary they saw the red vehicle “repeatedly reversed into the front of the shop.”

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The masked driver entered the store through the gap and jumped over the counter to take the till and its contents, before fleeing the scene in the same van.

The front of the grocery shop, in The Villas in Thornley, has been boarded up following the ram raid attack.The front of the grocery shop, in The Villas in Thornley, has been boarded up following the ram raid attack.
The front of the grocery shop, in The Villas in Thornley, has been boarded up following the ram raid attack.
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The front of the store has since been boarded up after the collisions left “substantial damage” to the business.

Officers have carried out a forensic examination of the scene and are checking CCTV footage, as well as carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area.

Detective sergeant Jenna Cook, of Peterlee CID, said: “This incident has caused significant damage to a local business which serves the local community and we are carrying out a thorough investigation to find the person responsible.

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“Although it happened early in the morning, there were a number of people in the area at the time making their way to work and we would like to hear from anyone who saw anything significant which can help our investigation.

“We would also like anyone who has seen the damaged vehicle leaving the area after the incident to come forward.”

The attack happened at 5.45am yesterday, Thursday, October 1.

Anyone with information is asked to ring Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 0023 of October 1.

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