FIVE men have been jailed for a combined total of over 45 years after committing a string of cash machine robberies – including an attempted one at Addingham in March last year.

The robberies were carried out with the use of explosives and a total of 15 cash machines were targeted, with the ATM outside the Co-op in Main Street, Addingham, among them.

Last year we reported that police were called to the Co-op at around 2.50am on March 30, after reports of a burglary.

One Addingham resident was quoted at the time as saying: “The attempt failed, but they went onto trying to get through the main door, causing some damage inside the shop.”

Although the men had stolen a total of £429,960 from cash machines over an 11-month period, up until their arrest in February this year, they returned empty handed from their Addingham raid.

The five men, all from the Stockport and Manchester areas, were sentenced yesterday.

Lewis Murkin, Philip Clarke, Ryan Wilson and Michael Cash were each sentenced to 10 years and eight months, while Martin Goldstraw, who helped to give the gang lifts and move equipment, was sentenced to five years and four months.

The robberies mainly took place in Greater Manchester, while Cheshire and north Wales were also hit. Addingham was the only place in Yorkshire that the gang targeted, according to Greater Manchester Police.

Craven ward district councillor Adrian Naylor, whose ward includes Addingham, said: "I welcome the news that the perpetrators of these crimes have been caught and that appropriate sentences have been given.

"The use of gas to create explosions was worrying, as it meant that Addingham residents in close proximity to the Co-op could have been affected and this could have been an even more serious offence. Innocent members of the public could have been hurt.

"The people of Addingham welcome the fact that these people have been caught. Addingham is a quiet and peaceful village and not somewhere in the middle of the wild west. Therefore, we welcome the court's decision."

Detective Sergeant Rick Castley, of GMP's Serious and Organised Crime group, said: "The men sentenced are a brazen group of criminals, whose greed and arrogance showed no bounds as they continued to commit offences across the country. The men chose to use explosives to carry out their crimes, which just goes to show their blatant disregard for the safety of others in their pursuit of illicit gains.

“The severity of their offences should not be underestimated and I want to stress the impact that these crimes have on our communities. Their actions caused substantial damage to business premises and significant inconvenience to business owners and the public, who often depend on the businesses and cash machines to make an honest living and go about their daily lives."