A gang of three men who blew up cash machines to steal the money inside have been jailed.

Joel Spear, Ermias Fekade and Stephen Fahri stole nearly £150,000 between January 2017 and May that same year.

The explosions caused by the gang were uncontrolled and, in most of the incidents, caused a considerable amount of damage to nearby buildings including post offices and petrol stations.

Spears, 31, of Becket Close, Wimbledon and Fekade, 36 of Moyne Close, Hove were both found guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions and steal after a six-week trial at Croydon Crown Court.

The pair were sentenced on April 18, along with 36-year-old Fahri, of Mayfield Crescent, Brighton, who had previously pleaded guilty to the same offence.

Spears was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, Fekade was sentenced to 16 years and Fahri was sentenced to 17 years.

All three were arrested on 20 April after an attempt to explode a cash machine inside a Post Office in Tunbridge Wells.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Blackburn, of the Met’s Flying Squad said: “The lengthy sentences handed out by the judge today reflect the high-risk nature of the offending.

"These defendants caused extensive damage to the cash machines but also the surrounding buildings which included residential premises.

"The Flying Squad has once again made it clear that we will relentlessly pursue those with the audacity to conduct such criminality”