DETECTIVES probing a gang's attempts to blow a cash machine out of a wall in Astley Bridge are investigating whether a second raid in Burnley may be linked.

The machine at the HSBC branch opposite Asda in Moss Bank Way was targeted by four men on December 6, who used a gas canister to blow it out of the wall.

They stole nothing using the "ATM gas attack", which has been used in mainland Europe for several years, but is thought to be relatively new to Britain.

Officers have drawn a blank in their search for the raiders, and are now looking at whether the gang might also be responsible for a second attack in Burnley.

The January 4 raid on Barclays Bank in Colne Road also involved gas canisters and took place in the early hours of the morning — at about 4.40am, with the HSBC raid in Bolton coming at about 4.20am.

The offenders in both raids left the scene in an Audi car.

They got away with some cash, with the Barclays machine thought to hold up to £100,000, but police could not confirm how much the thieves had managed to steal.

Det Insp Charlotte Cadden said: "We will be investigating to see if there are links between the attempted burglary in Astley Bridge and this latest incident in Burnley.

“The way this crime was carried out was unusual, so we are open-minded at this stage about who will have been responsible.

“We have not managed to unearth any solid leads so far so I would reiterate the message that anyone who thinks they may know something about this must get in touch with us.”

"ATM gas attacks typically involves inserting a tube through the cash dispenser and flooding the ATM with a combustible gas, before a trigger device is activated."

Asda staff in Astley Bridge saw four men on CCTV driving away from the raid in a blue Audi estate.

The offenders were all wearing balaclavas.

Witnesses of the Burnley incident saw three men driving off from the scene in an estate vehicle, possibly an Audi.

Insp John Fryer, of Lancashire Police, said: “It was a massive explosion and has done a lot of damage.

“This is quite a new phenomenon in the last 12 months or so and is becoming more and more common.

"It’s quite worrying that we’ve now had one in Burnley as it means there could be people operating in this area now.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 8565761 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.