Seven men have appeared in court charged over a series of cash machine thefts across the South East, including two in Kent.

The alleged conspiracy includes a number of ATM thefts or attempted thefts from across the region, including incidents at the McColl’s shop in West Kingsdown, Sevenoaks, in April 2018 and the Co-op in Istead Rise, Gravesend, in May 2018.

Walter Mitchell, 41, William Mitchell, 30, Levi Mitchell, 24, Walter Mitchell, 20, Tommy Mitchell, 18, and Shane Stanley, 36, all of Fern Hill Lane in Harlow, Essex, and Scott McManus, 43, of Chapelfields in Stanstead Abbotts, Essex, have been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to steal vehicles.

They were all due to appear in Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 7, following an investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

The charges follow the execution of a number of warrants in Essex on Tuesday and also relate to a number of other alleged ATM thefts in Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey.

A 17-year-old boy and two other boys both aged 15, all from Harlow in Essex, were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, theft of a motor vehicle and burglary, and have all been released pending further inquiries.

No pleas were entered and all seven men are due to appear in Chelmsford Crown Court on April 4.