Police are investigating whether an attempted ram raid in Diss was carried out by the same gang that raided cash points in Wells and Burnham.

The attempted raid in Rickinghall, near Diss, took place during the early hours of Tuesday when a gang of three smashed through the doors of a Co-op supermarket by reversing into it using a stolen 4x4 Mistsubishi L200.

They failed to steal the store’s cash machine and eventually fled empty-handed, speeding off towards the A140 in a silver BMW X5.

The attempt resembled a number of other ram raids which have taken place across Norfolk and a spokesperson for Norfolk Police said: “Police are investigating whether the raid may have been carried out by the same gang behind a string of cash point raids across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

“They include Wells-next-the-Sea, Burnham and Bellflower Crescent.”

The raids in North Norfolk took place during the summer when a Co-op supermarket in Wells and a Nisa store in Burnham were hit within one week of each other.

In both cases the gang had used stolen JCB teleporters to smash their way into the stores and remove the cash machines.

After the Burnham raid, Norfolk police and crime commissioner, Lorne Green, said: “History suggests that the perpetrators are from outside the county - that is usually the case when these incidents occur.

“Officers here are working with other forces to gather information and the investigation is ongoing.

“It is unusual to see these areas being hit with crimes like this.”

The Burnham raid also sparked some controversy over how the police had dealt with the case after Mr Green admitted that police may not have reacted fast enough when they were alerted by a member of the public.

“The call was not taken as seriously as it should have been,” he said in July. “We are all human and mistakes happen, but the caller will be receiving a call from a top officer to give an apology.”

Asked if swifter action would have resulted in the ram raiders being caught, Mr Green said: “I’m not sure if that’s the case or not, but this caller should be applauded for calling police in the night to report suspicious activity.”

Anyone with information on the raid in Diss should contact Suffolk police on 101.

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