A SUPERMARKET cashpoint was raided overnight by masked men before they were chased through a housing estate by police.

An eyewitness said the thieves threw rocks and a glass bottle at a neighbouring block of flats, to prevent residents filming the incident.

Rhys Haywood, who lives on the ground floor with his partner and three-year-old son, described the attack – at around 12.20 on Tuesday morning – as “creepy and surreal”.

Sainsbury’s has confirmed an incident took place at its store on Buttercup Walk, Malvern, with the supermarket “open as normal” later that day and “supporting police with their investigation”.

Mr Haywood, 29, said he was woken by a “big bang and then the alarm went off, the same alarm that went off last week” – a black Audi car had reversed up to the front of the store. He believes there were four culprits involved.

The cashpoint is outside the building and he said the thieves – in black hoodies, balaclavas and neck warmers – broke through the glass on the store’s security door next to the ATM.

He said they didn’t use the car to ram raid the shop, and he believes a crowbar was used to break into the cash machine.

“The car boot was then opened and something was put inside,” he continued, estimating the raid took around two minutes.

Mr Haywood, who has lived in the building for 13 months, called the police at 12.21am and one car responded within around four minutes and rammed into the Audi.

However, it managed to escape and gave chase through the estate, and Mr Haywood said three or four other police vehicles arrived soon after – including a riot van, then later a helicopter.

Prior to the police arriving, he said two of the raiders began throwing “big rocks” and a bottle “at our building cladding, which pierced the cladding” – “putting people off” filming.

When the attack on the building began, Mr Haywood said he woke up his son and the three of them sat in the hallway, away from the windows.

“We woke him up because his room is right near the glass windows,” he said. “We didn’t know what was going on. At first we heard what we thought was an explosion.”

Police confirmed on Twitter a vehicle used “following an ATM break” was later found and “will be fully examined by forensics”.