Raiders used a lorry with a mechanical arm to rip a cash machine from the wall of a London bank and rammed police cars during a four-mile chase, Scotland Yard said today.

The grab-arm was used to take out the whole ATM from a Barclays bank in Golders Green, north London, and hoist it onto the back of the truck in the early hours today.

The lorry sped away through east London, smashing its way past police cars and slightly injuring two officers. The vehicle was eventually stopped after crashing into more police cars.

The lorry driver, aged 39, was arrested and is in hospital with minor injuries. Two other men, aged 31 and 37, were arrested in a van parked near the bank.

"We are delighted with the successful conclusion of this operation which has led to three arrests and the recovery of the ATM," DCI Harry Hennigan of the Flying Squad said.