Thieves dig 100ft tunnel to reach cash machine Detective Sergeant Ian Shore, from Longsight CID, said: "In all my years of service, I have never seen anything quite as elaborate as this. These people had obviously spent a long time plotting this crime and I doubt they would have been able to keep their plans secret for all that time, without telling others about their scheme. They must also have spent a lot of time in the area over the past few months, which people may have noticed. The financial detriment to the victim could have been a lot worse, and the offenders did not get away with as much money as I believe they may have originally hoped. The machine had limited funds available. The tunnel was dug directly underneath the cash machine, where the offenders then used machinery to cut through the concrete above to steal money from the ATM. The thieves then made their getaway back down the tunnel. DS Shore added: "I would ask that anyone who may have noticed anything unusual around this Blockbuster store, or who may have seen or heard anything they think might help us with our investigation, to get in touch."