Two men, who took part in ramraids across the county, causing nearly £2 million in damage and loss of revenue, have received jail sentences totalling more than 16 years.

Police believe a gang planned and carried out the six raids on ATMs netting them more than £300,000 - and costing £1.6 million in damages and lost revenue.

The ramraids took place in Dover, Cranbrook, Northfleet, Dargate and Staplehurst.

Father of seven Anthony Pemberthy, 44, of Calder Road, Maidstone and Stephen Davenport, 61, of Ashford Road, Harrietsham admitted taking part in the raids.

Davenport, who admitted two burglary charges and two causing criminal damage charges, was jailed for seven and a half years and Pemberthy, who admitted six similar charges, was jailed for eight years and nine months.

Prosecutor Patrick Dennis told Maidstone Crown Court: "These two defendants are organised professional criminal ATM ramraiders.

"In short, they steal JCB diggers and use them to ram raid ATMs to steal cash.

"The offences also involve the use of stolen vehicle and flat bed tipper trucks which are used in the ram raids."

Pemberthy pleaded guilty to six counts of "non dwelling burglary'' and six counts of criminal damage relating to six ATM ramraids, which took place between November 14, 2019, and March 1, 2021.

Davenport admitted four similar charges.

The first raid involved a stolen red pick up truck, which had been taken from an address in Ashford.

Mr Dennis added: "The theft was captured on CCTV footage. It is right to say it is impossible to identify this male. However the prosecution case is this male has the same general build as Davenport.

"On November 14, a JCB digger was stolen from Hartley Road, Cranbrook and driven to the Co-op in Cranbrook.

Shortly after 2am, three people were caught on CCTV loading the stolen ATM onto a flat bed truck. They then took it seven kilometres to Sherenden Lane in Marden.

Mr Dennis added: "The stolen JCB excavator was abandoned and the police located the slaughter site - named because its where the cash machines are emptied by thieves.

"As DS Booth was approaching the slaughter site he could hear metallic grinding noises. But the raiders managed to escape."

More than £29,500 cash was stolen and the damage to the Co-op cost £79,707.07 to repair. The cost of replacing the ATM was £13, 500.

In January 2020 the thieves attacked Iden Park Service Station, Staplehurst when again a stolen excavator was left abandoned at the scene while the flat bed truck was driven away with the ATM.

It was later driven to Bull Lane, Bethersden for "slaughter" and £20,180 cash was stolen and £6, 000 cash was stolen from the safe.

Mr Dennis added that the damage to the service station cost £79, 577.21 to repair and the cost of replacing the ATM was again £13, 500.

In March thieves attacked Tesco Extra, Whitfield, Dover and then on January 21, Morrison, Northfleet and the following month Tesco Express, in Dymchurch and Shell Service Station, Dargate were targeted. Two of the attacks failed.

In Northfleet a sharp-eyed worker spotted the attack and called the police and the raiders fled empty-handed and in a raid in Dymchurch the hydraulic cable on the excavator arm broke.

Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Greenstreet, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Today's sentences send out a message to anyone thinking of targeting businesses in our county: Kent Police will track you down and bring you to justice, whatever lengths we have to go to.

"I would like to thank businesses and other partner agencies for their help during the investigation. Measures to help prevent future offences of this kind are now in place and I hope staff and workers at businesses around the county feel safer knowing that these two men are in jail.

"Pemberthy and Davenport didn't care how much damage they caused, or who they injured, as they committed these shocking offences and the sentences handed down today reflect the seriousness of their criminal behaviour."

In June this year, Kent Police was given the NPCC Police Partnership Initiative Award at the British Security Awards for its special project working with businesses and partner agencies in 2021 to risk assess the location of cash machines and offer safety advice to owners.