A bomb disposal robot was sent out to a quiet Bucks town as police shut off a busy road after finding a "suspicious device".
Emergency services were at Penn Road, in Beaconsfield, which was closed for several hours between Warwick Road and Ledborough Lane.
Officers were called to the Nationwide Building Society at around 8.45am yesterday (Saturday) to reports that an ATM had been damaged and a suspicious device was located.
Nobody was injured and officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit were also on scene assessing the device.
Videos from Twitter user @Ollie_Eats (below) and Clive Schofield appear to show a bomb disposal robot approaching the Nationwide bank behind a police cordon.
Police said the road would remain closed for “some time”.
Clive Schofield, from Fields Domestic Appliances, in Penn Road, said CCTV appeared to show three people trying to "blow up" the ATM at around 4am this morning.
He said: "A police car parked up about 9am this morning, then about 12pm, bomb disposal arrived. Then more police and the fire brigade came and it was all cordoned off.
"I have never seen anything like this. The ATMs at HSBC were targeted a couple of years ago but we have never had bomb disposal here.
"Seeing their robot do its thing was quite something."
A Rennie Grove charity shop volunteer, who did not want to be named, said: “We heard someone tried to blow up the cash machine and the device fell inside.
“All of a sudden we started seeing police arrive. It’s scary.”
And a Starr Business Supplies employee, who also did not want to be named, said: “One of our customers said she couldn’t use the cash point and the bank assistant told her what had happened.
“We saw the police arrive and that was it.”
Chiltern and South Bucks Inspector Dick Doggrell said: “There has appeared to be a growing trend of use of small explosives to attempt to steal cash machines.
“Following a call to a suspicious device this morning, a cordon was put in place.
“I would like to re-assure the public that there is no wider threat and there is no suggestion that this is terrorism related."
The latest incident comes just days after bomb disposal units were called to Barclays Bank in Gerrards Cross amid reports of an explosion in the early hours of the morning.
Police have not confirmed whether the two incidents are linked.
Call 101 quoting URN 326 (2/2) with information.
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