Two cash machines at a Barkingside supermarket have been stolen using a JCB.

The machines at Tesco’s in Cranbrook Road were taken in the early hours of July 4 when the digger was used to pull them out of the wall.

An employee, who did not want to be named said: “They came through the back fence, drove through the car park and loaded them into a lorry after.”

A police spokesman said the JCB was stolen from a nearby school. The investigation is ongoing.

The wall has been bricked up, leaving the supermarket without any cashpoints.

A cashier said requests for cashback were becoming a problem.

She added: “So many people have been asking I haven’t had enough to give them sometimes.

“If we don’t have the money we have to say no.”

A Tesco spokesman said the cash machines will be replaced as soon as possible.