A CASH point thought to contain thousands of pounds was ripped out and stolen by masked thieves using a JCB.

At around 3am on Friday (December 2), offenders used a JCB to wrench out the cash point at the Co-Op in Bourton-on-the- Water.

The JCB was then abandoned in the car park on Station Road and the thieves fled the scene.

They were wearing dark coloured hoodies and gloves.

It is still being established how much money was in the cash point, but it is likely to be thousands of pounds.

Police are looking through CCTV in the area as part of their enquiries to identify who is responsible.

A similar incident happened at Tesco in Tetbury last Wednesday (November 30) and the incidents are being treated as potentially linked.

That theft attempt was unsuccessful, but structural damage was caused to the building.

Owners of JCBs, diggers and teleporters in the area are urged to be vigilant and to take extra precautions in protecting their vehicles, especially overnight.

Anyone with information on the cashpoint theft should call police on 101 quoting incident 22 of December 2.

In a separate incident, police in the Cotswolds have arrested two men for stealing cigarettes and alcohol from the same Co-Op on Monday (December 5).

The two men were arrested after a car chase ended in the car being stopped on the A417 after it had previously failed to stop when it was found in Andoversford.

The offenders then attempted to run away from the scene but officers caught up with them and arrested them.

Two men, aged 26 from Gloucester and aged 38 of no fixed abode, were arrested on suspicion of burglary and they remain in custody.

The burglary was reported to police at around 1.30am as the incident was ongoing.

Offenders forced entry to the shop and made off from the scene in a car.

Police attended and located the car near Andoversford.