Five men were jailed in relation to a series of planned robberies and ATM thefts in Surrey for a total of more than 30 years.

Jason Mobey, Jimmy Shea and Les Keet, conspired to target various ATMs across Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, stealing in excess of half a million pounds and causing approximately £900,000 in damage between July and November, 2018, Surrey Police said.

Jason Mobey, Les Keet, Eric Summerfield and Melvyn Beech further conspired to violently rob a Surrey resident within their home.

In the raids that targeted ATMs, the gang would use heavy machinery to carry out the ram raids before stealing the cash machines during the hours of darkness.

Heavy machinery and getaway vehicles would be stolen, generally from close proximity to offence locations with the group favouring rural farming locations or housing developments.

Some of the vehicles stolen during the raids were subsequently burnt by the gang in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The lengthy and complex investigation to identify the men involved in the conspiracies was run by Surrey and Sussex Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit and involved gathering CCTV evidence, forensic investigations, piecing together a large volume of information provided by members of the public and covert tactics.

All five suspects pleaded guilty to involvement in the incidents of organised crime above back in April.

Jason Mobey, 40, from Farnham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary (non-dwelling) and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was jailed for 10 years, eight months.

Jimmy Shea, 24, from Alton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary (non-dwelling). He was jailed for six years.

Les Keet, 29, from Normandy pleaded guilty conspiracy to commit burglary (non-dwelling) and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was jailed for eight years.

Eric Summerfield, 63, from Guildford pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery. He was jailed for three years, four months.

Melvyn Beech, 47, from Leatherhead pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery. He was jailed for three years, four months.

Mobey, Shea and Keet have also been handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order, to last five years.

Head of Serious Organised Crime for Surrey and Sussex, Detective Superintendent Karen Mizzi said:

"The sentences handed down show the seriousness of these crimes.

"This successful result was due to the teamwork involved and I am grateful to all of the officers involved in bringing these men to justice.

"This organised crime group were relentless but we were able to gather enough evidence to arrest them and put them before the courts."

Borough Commander for Waverley, Inspector Gary Smith added: "The ATM thefts last year caused misery for those business which were targeted, as well as causing a great deal of concern within the local community and I am delighted to see that those responsible have been brought to justice and will be behind bars for a considerable period of time.

"The actions of the five men not only caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage but also cost people their jobs and greatly inconvenienced local residents who had to travel further to withdraw their money."

A spokesperson for the company Cardtronics that was directly affected by the ATM thefts also responded to the jailing of the gang behind the robberies.

"Criminals think this is a victimless crime and they can’t be more wrong as when they steal monies this means as a business that is self-insured the people in the company could lose their jobs as the attacks, losses and monies stolen comes from the company’s bottom line.

"I can state with confidence that when our ATM machines are stolen not only do the public lose a measure of freedom but 99 per cent of the time the shop that housed the machine would have been destroyed due to the collateral damage caused by the plant machinery, some of which never reopened again," the spokesperson said.