Residents of a town in Co Durham have described feeling their houses shake after a suspected explosive attack on a cash machine.
Darlington locals reported feeling the blast “over two miles away” from the Matalan store where an explosion “flattened trees and signs and scattered debris everywhere”.
Images posted on social media showed what appeared to be the obliterated kiosk in front of the clothing and homewear shop.
Police reassured people in the area that the incident was not terror-related, although witnesses were left in shock at the apparent power of the blast.
Resident Harry Chown, 28, told the Press Association that he was woken at around 1am by a “violent explosion which shook my house”.
He added: “It looks like thieves have gone overkill on explosives whilst trying to blow open a standalone ATM.
“It’s been obliterated and flattened trees and signs and scattered debris everywhere. Social media suggests people two miles away heard it which explains why my house shook so violently only 150m away.”
Emergency services outside the Matalan store (Harry Chown/PA)
Mr Chown said the explosion had “shoved” the kiosk containing the ATM “10 metres along the carpark”.
Locals wrote on social media that they had felt the blast at the store, which is close to the town’s train station.
Kerry Moor wrote on Facebook that she was “over two miles away and our house shook”, while James Cummings said: “I live directly across from there and was awake at the time and the shock of the explosion shook my house and knocked me out of my bed.”
Durham Constabulary tweeted that police were “dealing with an incident, Neasham Road, Darlington. This is not terror related.”
Debris was strewn across the car park of the retail park. Blue plastic from the kiosk was blasted almost to the main road.
Its wooden roof was blown at least 10ft away from the wrecked kiosk.
Two police vans blocked the entrance to the cordoned-off car park. An advert on the Matalan store said: “Love it or your money back.”