TESCO shoppers arrived to the Kidlington High Street branch this morning to find a police cordon and a gaping hall in the wall.

The store was the latest target following more than 20 ATM thefts and attempted thefts in Oxfordshire in the past two years.

READ AGAIN: Police cordon off Tesco in Kidlington

Police have not confirmed if the burglary is thought to be linked to any of the below.

Thieves have used everything from forklift trucks to gas explosions to try to break free ATMs, with varying degrees of success.

Oxford Mail:

Kidlington Tesco this morning

Waitrose in Abingdon revealed plans in November for a 'ram-raid proof' ATM while the Botley Road branch never replaced its ATM following a theft there in March 2018.

The new Sainsbury's in Oxford's Frideswide Square also submitted plans for a ram-raid barrier, to protect the cash machine from thieves. 

Here are some of the ATM raids reported by the Oxford Mail since December 2017:

1. Aldi, Chipping Norton in December 2017

Thieves used a stolen 4x4 to ram into Aldi in Chipping Norton in a botched bid to steal a cash machine.The group targeted the Banbury Road store shortly before 1am on December 13.

2. Charlbury, Co-op in January 2018

Ram-raiders hit a Co-op Food store in Charlbury and made attempts to remove the cash machine. Staff were called to the store, in Enstone Road, after an alarm was activated.

3. Co-op, Grove in January 2018

A gang of thieves hauled a cash machine through the front doors of a Co-op in Grove using a Jeep. Burglars gained entry to the Savile Way store by prising open the front metal shutter at around 11.40pm on January 9.

4. Aldi, Headington in February 2018

Ram-raiders struck at Aldi in Headington in another failed bid to steal an in-store cash machine. The group used a stolen Land Rover Discovery to reverse into store, in Horspath Driftway, just before midnight on February 3.

5. Morrisons, Carterton in March 2018

A gang of thieves used a stolen Land Rover to target a cash machine at Morrisons in Carterton. The supermarket was closed for much of the day after police said four or five people tried to take the cash point at the shop on Black Bourton Road on March 8.

6. Waitrose, Oxford in March 2018

Thieves hit the Waitrose in Oxford’s Botley Road in an early morning ram-raid style smash-and-grab. A Land Rover Defender was abandoned outside the main entrance with a cable attached to the rear on March 12.

7. Spar, Bodicote in March 2018

Four men used a stolen Land Rover Discovery in an attempt to remove the cash machine from the Molyneux Drive shop on March 14. But the thieves left the scene empty-handed, abandoning the stolen vehicle in the process.

8. Aldi, Didcot in March 2018

Would-be thieves ram-raided Didcot’s Aldi supermarket, using axes and crowbars to try to steal the cash machine. A blue or grey 4x4 was used to smash through the supermarket in Broadway between 2.30am and 3am on March 23.

9. Grove, Tesco in April 2018

Would-be thieves smashed their way into the Tesco Express in Millbrook Square on April 22. Police said the gang had forced the office door open where the ATM machine was located and damaged the CCTV, but nothing was taken. 

10. Watlington Co-Op in June 2018

Police cordoned off the Co-Op in Couching Street on June 21, 2018, and the ATM could be seen abandoned in the middle of the road. Officers chased a suspect through two counties before making an arrest, with assistance from the police helicopter.

10. Co-op, Woodcote in September 2018

Thieves botched two attempts to steal the cash machine at the Co-op in Woodcote September 16. They used axes and sledgehammers but their stolen Land Rover became impaled on bollards at the shop front. They eventually made off with a bottle of Lambrini instead.

11. Co-op, Charlbury in November 2018

Thieves struck at the West Oxfordshire supermarket for the second time in a failed bid to steal cash from an ATM. The Co-op Food store in Enstone Road, Charlbury, was raided by thieves targeting its cash machine at about 2.35am on November 3.

12. Abingdon, Co-op in December 2018

The Northcourt Road Co-op and post office was targeted at 3.30am by thieves who smashed their way into the store before making off with the money from its ATM.

13 and 14. Post Office, Esso Co-op Eynsham in February 2019

Residents described hearing a 'huge boom' in the early hours of the morning as yet another Oxfordshire ATM was stolen by thieves. Police say the gas explosion attack was one of two in the region, with a petrol station near Aylesbury also being targeted on the same night. A third ATM in Bloxham was later found to have been targeted that night.

15. Littlemore Post Office on February 25, 2019

Owners of the Post Office in Cowley Road, Littlemore, said the front bars of their shop had been mangled out of shape in this attempt, but the thieves were unsuccessful in trying to take the machine.

16. Kingston Bagpuize Co-op on March 1, 2019

A gang used a forklift truck to demolish the ATM wall in one of the most brazen raids so far. Residents described the aftermath as ‘looking like a bomb had gone off’.

17. Abingdon BP Garage on April 3, 2019

Would-be thieves tried but failed to steal a cash machine from the BP garage in Abingdon. Two men were arrested and were sentenced in September, with the judge comparing their incompetency to something out of the 1910s Keystone Cops slapstick films.

18. Co-op at Ladygrove, Didcot, on May 3, 2019

The branch on the Ladygrove estate was cordoned off by police after the ATM was ripped from the wall, leaving a gaping hole and a pile of rubble. 

19. Abingdon Budgens on June 10, 2019

Burglars stormed the Abingdon supermarket in Peachcroft Road, cut the locks with an angle grinder, and attempted to blow up the ATM. Their efforts were unsuccessful but the dramatic attempt was captured on CCTV. 

20. Wheatley Co-Op on September 10, 2019

A vehicle was set on fire during this attempted ATM raid at the Station Road Co-op in Wheatley. Officers were called to the scene at 1.56am and found a cash machine had been forcibly removed from the wall and a vehicle had been set alight, but no money was stolen.

21. Didcot Londis on January 7, 2020

A large Nissan SUV reversed into the front of Londis in Brasenose Road, Didcot, in an apparent attempt to free the ATM. The attempt failed and the would-be burglars just damaged the shutters of the shop, the glass windows and set off the alarm. 

22. Kidlington Tesco on January 20, 2020

This morning's raid at the Tesco Metro in Kidlington High Street is the latest incident reported in Oxfordshire, with a hole in the wall where the cash machine has been removed. The store was still cordoned off late this morning but police have not yet confirmed if any cash was stolen.