POLICE have confirmed that last week's raid on Aldi was a ram raid, involving a vehicle which caused extensive damage to the side of the building and the rails of a much-used public walkway.

At the time of going to press, the broken glass side walls were still boarded up; the walkway which was created to link the store to the New Mills estate is still closed off, and the ATM machine, which was taken by the raiders from inside the store, had still not been replaced.

There is no indication when the store will be back to how it was before. Aldi has declined to comment on the aftermath of the raid, saying it is "a police matter".

But two signs on the boarded up windows apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by the "unforeseen repairs" and say that work is underway to get the store "back to normal as soon as possible".

A police spokesman said this week: "We can confirm that a 4x4 vehicle is believed to have been driven into the side of the building in order to gain access to the ATM."

Police are not giving details of the vehicle, because investigations are still ongoing.

Forensic officers have been in site and until the early part of this week, a large skip full of broken glass and metal frames was still on Aldi's car park, surrounded by a police cordon.

After the raid, the popular store remained closed for the whole of Thursday October 26 and only re-opened again at 10am last Friday.

A police spokesman said: "Police were called at around 1.15am on Thursday, October 26 following reports of a burglary at a supermarket in New Mills Industrial Estate on Leadon Way, Ledbury.

"Offenders have forced entry into the store and an ATM machine has been stolen. Enquiries are ongoing. There have currently been no arrests."

Some residents living on New Mills streets adjacent to the store said they did not hear alarms going off at the time of the raid, but this has not been confirmed by Aldi nor the police.

Meanwhile, because of a relative shortage of ATM machines in Ledbury, the chairman of Ledbury's finance and general purposes committee, Cllr Bob Barnes, is calling for Aldi to restore a cash machine to the store.

He said: "Aldi will have to weigh up the risks of their position, and their security, but I hope they can see the benefits. We live in an age where people want these things at hand."

The Aldi store was a long-awaited and generally welcomed addition to Ledbury, when the store opened just over two months ago.

Investigating officers would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the raid or any suspicious behaviour in the area.

The spokesman said: "If you have any information, please call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 29s of 26 October 2017.

"Alternatively, information can be given to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website."