A cash machine which was stolen from a supermarket in Ashford has been found abandoned on a quiet country lane.

Thieves used a digger, stolen from a nearby building site, to smash down a fence at the Waitrose store in Sir Bernard Paget Avenue, Repton Park, at around 2.40am yesterday.

The digger was abandoned in the car park after it was used to rip the free-standing cash machine out of the ground.

Later in the day, Kent Police were called to reports of a vehicle on fire off Pluckley Road between Hothfield and Pluckley.

The empty ATM was found next to a burning Mitsubishi L200 pick-up truck which had been reported stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kent Police on their new non-emergency number, 101. Alternatively, call Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.