Lancashire and Cheshire police warn public not to use Santander ATMs

Police forces in Lancashire and Cheshire counties have warned the public to avoid using Santander ATMs. This comes after they received complaints about the bank's ATMs. Lancashire Police is also said to have received calls recently about devices on the bank's ATMs across the county that looked suspicious.

The police forces said these machines had been "compromised". They feared that these machines had been targeted by criminals for stealing cash and confidential information such as card details.

A warning issued by the Lancashire Police on Twitter read: "Security at Santander ATMs in Lancs has been compromised. Advice is not to use them. If you have lost money please contact the bank and 101." The police also advised customers of the bank to not use a Santander cash machine if it seemed to have been tampered with, according to The Telegraph.

A spokesman for the Lancashire force said the issue could be more widespread. "We are advising the public to be vigilant, in particular of Santander machines, but of any cash machines. Report anything suspicious, have a visual check of the cashpoint and if in doubt leave it and go somewhere else. It's spread across the whole of Lancashire so it's highly likely other forces may have had reports. We do not know how many are affected," the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the Cheshire Police issued a warning that was more specific to Santander machines in Wilmslow, near Manchester. Its tweet read: "Cheshire Police have received reports of issues with Santander ATM's in Wilmslow. Please do not use the machines and call your bank and 101."

A spokeswoman at the bank said: "Santander was contacted this weekend by police who requested that five ATM machines in the North West and Lancashire area be shut down due to potential criminal activity and vandalism. The five ATMs in question were shut down immediately. The Santander ATM network remains fully operational and we are assisting the police with their enquiries in relation to the five ATMs in the Lancashire area."