A MOTORWAY service station was targeted by ram-raiders in a Land Rover last week.

Police were called to Rownhams Services westbound after a gang of masked thieves made off with cash.

The criminals, who carried out the raid in the early hours of Tuesday, November 14, used a dark-coloured Land Rover Defender to smash into the services.

The vehicle caused a large amount of damage. The men escaped with a cash machine shortly before 1am.

A spokesperson for Hampshire police said: “Five men, all with their faces covered, were seen to leave the vehicles before the Land Rover Defender was used to gain entry to the entrance to the service station.

“A cash machine containing a substantial quantity of cash was taken from inside the building. The vehicles then left the scene.”

Several staff are understood to have been in the building when the raiders struck.

The entrance to the single-storey Roadchef complex, which includes branches of Spar, Costa Coffee and McDonald’s, was badly damaged.

No-one was injured in the incident.

A steel bollard has now been installed to help prevent further incidents.