No one enjoys being woken up in the early morning. It is especially worse when you’re being woken up by a tractor tearing a hole through your wall. Despite the absurdity of this story, that’s exactly what happened today in Beaminster, Dorset.
Police were notified this morning that around 4 a.m., a group of thieves destroyed the wall of a historic building with a stolen tractor. The building used to be part of HSBC bank, but had been renovated as a kitchen and furniture store. The woman who was living in the flat above the store had been asleep at the time of the attack. Luckily, she made it out of the building unharmed.
The thieves were after a cash machine built into the building. After loading the machine into a dark-colored Audi, they abandoned the tractor and fled. Along with the tractor, they left behind a green Land Rover Defender that they had also stolen from Whitcombe Road in Beaminster, Dorset.
To say we are devastated does not cover it. The beautiful building, the lady asleep above ( thankfully physically unhurt) our business and livelihood and all those in Beaminster affected. No words. #beaminster
— Steff Chapman (@chrischapmanltd) August 18, 2018
The thieves caused massive structural damage to the building, and everyone in the sleepy town is appalled by the destruction. According to Steff Chapman, owner of the business and building that was attacked, is deeply upset by the crime.
“To say we are devastated does not cover it,” she told the Independent . “The beautiful building, the lady asleep above, our business and livelihood, and all those in Beaminster affected. No words. We don’t know the extent of the damage yet. But it will obviously affect our livelihood.”
However, this crime is not the first of its kind. A theft in Totnes last August involved a Merlo telehandler, a similar piece of farm equipment to the tractor used for this heist. The criminals used the telehandler to steal an ATM from a petrol station. Like the Dorset thieves, they caused thousands of dollars in property damage and managed to get away without capture.
Police are uncertain if the thieves from the crime today managed to get any of the money from the machine. They’ve asked that anyone with information regarding the crime to come forward to help track down those responsible for the property damage and theft.
According to the Guardian , the road has been closed to protect members of the public. So far, no news about the building’s stability has been released. Until a structural engineer can get a quality assessment of the damage, residents of the building have been advised to avoid entering or living in the building.
