Police investigating ram-raid at Penshaw Co-op in Sunderland

At around 4.20am on Friday (August 11) officers from Northumbria Police were alerted to a break-in at the Co-op on Station Road in Penshaw, Sunderland.

It was understood that a group of males had forced entry to the store, using what was believed to be an angle grinder, in an attempt to remove the entrance door.

Read more: Kieran Adey attacked Sheffield gangster Byron Naylor in prison

They have then reportedly driven a white Transit van into the shutters and attempted to take the cash machine off the wall.

While they were unable to remove the machine, they stole £420 in cash from the till, along with energy drinks, thousands of lottery scratch cards, and some stamps.

Officers attended, but the suspects had already fled the scene in the van before police arrived.

An investigation was immediately launched and officers have since recovered a white Transit van found abandoned in the Fencehouses area.

It is believed this was the vehicle used in the burglary and had been stolen from the Premier Road area before the break-in.  

As part of their enquiries, police are now asking for anyone with information that could assist the investigation to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Katrina Moore, of Northumbria Police, said: “Our investigation into the burglary is very much ongoing – with officers reviewing CCTV footage, speaking to witnesses and working hard to establish exactly what has happened.

“This is a very concerning report, and we would like to reassure local businesses and the wider public that we will be doing all we can to ensure all those involved are brought into custody.

“Not only that, but the suspected ram raid has caused significant damage to the shop front and we will not tolerate this type of behaviour in our communities.

Read next:

• Grieving mother of Mark Shaw relives nightmare moment she learned her son had been brutally murdered
• Kieran Adey, from Grange Villa, admits beating Mark Shaw, but claims Zoe Warren murdered him
• Guilty: The teenagers who tied up and tortured Mark Shaw to death

“I would urge anyone who has information that could assist our enquiries to come forward as soon as possible – we would ask anyone who has saw anything suspicious, the suspects or the vehicle in question in the area, to report it to police.

“Your information, no matter how small, could prove vital to our enquiries.”

Det Sgt Moore added: “As ever, we would also ask the wider public, including businesses, to continue to work with us to help reduce the impact burglary and theft can have by ensuring doors, windows and properties are kept secure and valuables out of view.”

Anyone with information can report via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the Northumbria Police website or by calling 101 quoting log NP-20230811-0127.