Pancake Day ribbon cutting is flipping marvellous.
A local bank that was ram raided last year re-opened its doors again today.
The Olney branch of the Nationwide chose today – Shrove Tuesday and the same day as the town's famous Pancake Race – to start trading again, to the delight of local people.
Thieves used agricultural machinery to rip through the bank’s façade and tear out the cash machine five months ago, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to the Grade 2 listed building.
The repaired branch now has a new glass front, interior decoration and new ATM cash machine, which bank officials say is more difficult to attack.
Staff joined branch manager Tom Radford to perform a ribbon cutting ceremony before welcoming customers back inside for the first time in nearly half a year.
“It’s lovely to see the branch up and running again,” said one resident. “I have missed it not being here.”
Last October was not the first time the branch had been targeted – in 2010 the front of the building was ripped out when thieves used a digger to steal the ATM machine.
And earlier last year the nearby Sainsbury’s store in Olney suffered a similar fate when its cash machine was torn from a wall.
