A cash point was “blown up” in Richmond in the early hours of this morning.

Police were called to reports of a theft from a cash point at the Shell petrol station in Lower Richmond Road shortly after 5.15am.

Three men were said to be acting suspiciously in the area and when officers arrived, the cash point was on fire and no suspects were at the scene.

It is believed the men had tried to blow open the cash point and set it on fire in their attempt to do so.

Firefighters from Richmond, just a stone’s throw from the petrol station, were called to the burning cash point at 5.23am.

A Richmond firefighter said: “It was going quite well - the front of it was burning.

“The fire was out within 10 minutes but we stayed on the scene for another 15 minutes.

“The police turned up at the same time as us and are still there now [at 10am].”

It is believed the suspects, who left empty-handed, arrived at the petrol station at 4.50am and left 25 minutes later.

The three thieves had their faces covered, were wearing dark clothing and left the scene in an estate car which was last seen turning onto Lower Mortlake Road.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad are now investigating.

Detective Sergeant Barnfather said: “These men were at the scene for some 25 minutes and, although it was the early hours of the morning, the road was still busy.

“We would ask anyone who saw the men at the scene, or saw them subsequently driving away to contact police.

“Your information could be vital in helping us catch these men and all information will be treated in strict confidence.”

Anyone with information should contact the Flying Squad on 020 8785 8655 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting reference 0710239/14.

The incident is the second of this nature in the past two months in the borough.

A cash point at Martin’s in Station Parade, Kew, was also targeted in the early hours of the morning on August 18.