TWO men blew up the cash machine outside Barclays bank in Thornbury and stole “a large quantity” of money before escaping on mopeds.

Police believe two men blew up the cash machine outside the bank in the high street at 3.45am this morning, setting the building on fire.

A spokesman told the Gazette a large quantity of cash is thought to have been taken, but could not confirm exactly how much was stolen.

The explosion set fire to the ground floor of the building, which was cordoned off with police tape as officers and bank security guards patrolled the street and investigated inside.

A Barclays spokeswoman told the Gazette: "The attack on the cash machine at our Thornbury branch has caused extensive damage to the building and we have engineers on their way to the site to assess the extent of the damage.  “We will work hard to reopen as soon as possible but at this early stage it is not possible to say when this will be.  “We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by this temporary closure. Our nearest branches are in Yate, Patchway and Wotton-under-Edge.”

Two crews from Thornbury along with a crew from Patchway and Southmead fire stations were alerted to the incident.

An Avon Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Six firefighters in breathing apparatus tackled the fire on the ground floor, and smoke also affected the first floor of the two storey building.  “Crews used hose reels to extinguish the fire and a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear smoke.”

The High Street was closed between Chapel Street junction and The Plain junction until around 8am, with diversions in place via Midland Way, Rock Street and Grovesend Road.

Read tomorrow’s Thornbury Gazette for the full report.