AN attempt by conmen to steal financial details from hundreds of customers of a Winchester superstore appears to have been thwarted by a sharp-eyed customer.

Cloning devices had been attached to two cash machines at the Tesco superstore on Easton Lane.

Last Friday a member of the public saw a suspicious-looking attachment and handed it to staff.

A check of the other ATM revealed a similar device.

Both were passed to police and are being examined by forensic experts.

A police spokesman said: "The offenders did not retrieve these devices so do not have the cards' details. Anyone who used the machine and has any concerns, though, should contact their bank.

Examination "At this stage it is not possible to say how long the devices were in place.

"Inquiries are continuing and the forensic examination should yield evidence to suggest how long the devices were fitted to the ATMs."

The scam works by card readers skimming personal numbers from cards put into the ATM. Cloned cards are then produced and used to obtain money from victims' bank accounts.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "We take the security of our cashpoints very seriously but like all cash machine operators, there are isolated instances of ATMs being tampered with.

"A device was placed on the ATM at our Winchester store, which was noticed by a customer. The police were called, removed the device and we are helping them with their inquiries."