SECURITY has been beefed up at a Hampshire motorway service station that was targeted by ram-raiders.

A steel bollard has been installed outside the entrance to a fast food complex after a gang of masked men made off with a large amount of cash.

They targeted the westbound side of Rownhams Services a week ago today.

After skirting a telephone kiosk they drove down a wide path and smashed their way into the building, causing a large amount of damage before escaping with a cash machine.

Now a thick steel bollard has been placed at the top of the path in a bid to prevent any similar attacks.

The entrance to the complex has been replaced by temporary wooden doors pending permanent repairs. All the debris left by the raid has been removed, but damage to large wall-mounted images of the Queen Mary and Queen Mary 2 is still visible.

The robbers struck in the early hours of Tuesday, November 14.

Police said a white Transit-style van and a dark-coloured Land Rover Defender drove into the service station just before 1am.

“Five men, all with their faces covered, were seen to leave the vehicles before the Land Rover Defender was used to gain entry to the entrance to the service station,” said a police spokesman.

“A cash machine containing a substantial quantity of cash was taken from inside the building. The vehicles then left the scene.”

Several staff are understood to have been in the building when the raiders struck.

The entrance to the single-storey Roadchef complex, which includes branches of Spar, Costa Coffee and McDonald’s, was reduced to a mass of twisted metal and broken glass.

Roadchef said no-one was injured in the incident.

Anyone with information about the raid should ring Hampshire police on 101, quoting crime reference number 44170442823, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.