Five men detained in Arbroath after Carnoustie ATM theft

Five men have been detained in connection with the theft of a cash machine from a shop in Carnoustie, Police Scotland have confirmed.

The force said specialist officers apprehended the men at the Westway Retail Park in Arbroath.

As part of the operation they fired so-called "tyre deflation rounds" to disable two suspect vehicles.

The ATM machine was taken from a Co-op store in Barry Street, Carnoustie, at about 04:30.

In a statement, Police Scotland said the operation involved its organised crime unit and Titan - north west England's regional crime unit.

It added: "As part of the operation, vehicle tyre deflation rounds were discharged directly into vehicle tyres.

"This is a recognised and practised tactic which is used specifically to disable a vehicle and was deployed in order to reduce any potential wider impact to the public and to maximise their safety."

The incident will now be referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), in line with routine procedure, the statement added.

A spokesman for the PIRC said the tyres of two vehicles were damaged during the incident but no members of the public were injured.

He added: "The firearms discharge occurred following an earlier incident attended by police.

"The PIRC is currently in the process of assessing whether there is a requirement to investigate the matter."

Earlier, police cordoned off part of a McDonald's restaurant in the Arbroath retail park.

A number of officers and police vehicles were in attendance at the fast food restaurant.

BBC Scotland's Steven Duff said there was also police activity in the Panbride area, on the outskirts of Carnoustie.

"We believe it surrounds a disused property, a former farmhouse property on the outskirts of Carnoustie," he added.

Det Ch Insp Andy Patrick earlier appealed for information about the ATM theft. "Our inquiries into this incident are ongoing and we are being supported by specialist officers," he said.

"The public will see a visible police presence in the area for some time as we continue with our investigation into the incident."

A spokesman for The Co-operative confirmed the store had been closed.

A spokeswoman for McDonald's said their Arbroath branch was closed for an hour as part of a police investigation unrelated to the restaurant.

She added: "We are co-operating fully with the police in their inquiries."