ATM Thieves Use Forklift and Horsebox to Rip Cash Machines From Scottish Bank in Daring Overnight Raid

Police in the Scottish Borders are hunting three suspects after an audacious overnight heist in which two cash machines were torn from the walls of a Royal Bank of Scotland branch and hauled away on a horsebox.

The raid took place at around 03:00 on Tuesday in Peebles, a historic market town in southern Scotland, when a stolen telescopic forklift was used to repeatedly ram the building on Eastgate, the town's main commercial street. The force of the impact left a large hole in the front of the branch, with rubble scattered across the pavement and several parked cars damaged.

According to Police Scotland, a grey Audi saloon, a grey Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck towing a horsebox, and a Manitou telehandler all entered the Eastgate area in the early hours. The telehandler, a heavy-duty machine typically used in agriculture and construction, was then deployed to smash into the bank and extract the two ATMs before they were loaded onto the back of the horsebox. The pick-up and trailer had previously been reported stolen, and the vehicle used to break into the building is also believed to have been taken without the owner's consent.

The forklift was abandoned at the scene, where it remained cordoned off by police tape for much of the day. Three men dressed entirely in dark clothing were seen leaving the area in the Audi and pick-up, heading in the direction of Northgate. Detectives have not yet released descriptions of the suspects beyond their clothing and the vehicles involved.

Detective Inspector Keith Sinclair, who is leading the investigation, described the incident as "clearly a planned series of crimes, involving stolen vehicles, to target the cash machines." He confirmed that extensive inquiries are underway to trace those responsible, with officers working through CCTV footage from the surrounding area and speaking to potential witnesses. Sinclair urged anyone who may have seen any of the vehicles before or after the raid, or who has other information, to come forward.

Dramatic footage circulating on social media appears to capture part of the operation. In the video, a figure dressed in black stands outside the badly damaged bank while the forklift pulls the cash machines away from the building. The machine is then seen lifting one of the ATMs into the air before lowering it carefully onto the rear of the horsebox. The individual outside the bank runs towards the back of the vehicle with arms waving, apparently signalling for the forklift to be raised again after the first machine has been positioned.

The immediate practical impact on the town has been significant. Peebles High Street was closed to vehicles, and Borders Buses announced that it would be unable to serve the nearby bus stop until further notice. The closure disrupted morning traffic through the town centre and left local businesses facing a day of reduced footfall while police carried out their forensic examination of the scene.

The raid bears the hallmarks of an increasingly common tactic among organised criminal gangs targeting standalone ATMs, particularly in rural areas where response times are longer and escape routes are less monitored. In recent years, police forces across the UK have reported a rise in attacks using heavy plant machinery, gas explosions, and cutting equipment to remove cash machines from banks, supermarkets, and petrol stations. The use of a horsebox as a getaway vehicle is unusual but not unprecedented, as criminals often favour ordinary-looking vehicles that attract little attention on country roads in the early hours.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has not yet commented publicly on the incident. The branch on Eastgate serves as one of the few remaining banking facilities in the town, and its closure for repairs could inconvenience residents who rely on in-person services, particularly older customers and small businesses that handle cash. The loss of two ATMs also reduces access to cash in the local area, a concern that has grown as bank branches and free-to-use machines have disappeared from many small towns across Scotland.

Police Scotland has appealed for witnesses, emphasising that even seemingly minor observations could prove valuable. Officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw the grey Audi, the Isuzu D-Max pick-up, the horsebox, or the Manitou telehandler in the Peebles area in the hours before the raid, or who noticed unusual activity near the bank in the preceding days. Forensic teams are examining the abandoned forklift and the damaged building for DNA, fingerprints, and other trace evidence.

The investigation is likely to focus on whether the stolen vehicles were taken specifically for this operation and whether the perpetrators had prior knowledge of the bank's layout and the timing of cash deliveries or collections. Detectives will also examine whether the raid is linked to similar incidents elsewhere in Scotland or northern England, as organised crime groups targeting ATMs often carry out multiple attacks across a wider region.

Local residents expressed shock at the brazen nature of the crime. Peebles, a town of around 8,000 people perhaps best known for its annual arts festival and proximity to the Tweed Valley, is generally regarded as a quiet and safe community. The sight of a heavy forklift abandoned in the middle of the High Street and a bank with its front torn open has unsettled many who live and work in the area.

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact Police Scotland, quoting the relevant reference number, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously. Detectives have stressed that the investigation is at an early stage and that they are pursuing all available lines of inquiry, including reviewing footage from private CCTV cameras and automatic number plate recognition systems along the likely escape routes.

As the day wore on, police continued to guard the cordoned-off section of Eastgate, with the damaged RBS branch remaining inaccessible. The full cost of the damage, and the amount of cash stolen, have not yet been disclosed. What is clear is that the raid represents a significant and highly organised criminal operation, and that the search for the three men and the stolen cash machines is now a priority for detectives in the Scottish Borders.