Five men have appeared in court accused of "being involved in serious and organised crime" when they allegedly stole a cash machine containing more than £16,000 from a shop.

Nanu Miah, 27, Robin Vaughan, 43, Anthony Conroy, 28, Andrew White, 26, and Carl Cavanagh, 32, were arrested by armed police in the car park of a McDonald's restaurant in Arbroath on Friday.

They are accused of stealing an ATM from a Co-operative shop in Barry Road, Carnoustie, early that morning.

Police shot out the wheels of a Mercedes car during the arrest, with staff and customers kept inside the McDonald's.

Now the five men have appeared in court facing a string of charges over the incident. They appeared in private on petition at Forfar Sheriff Court on Monday.

During brief individual hearings, the five faced a first charge of stealing a Land Rover Defender and its contents.

All five also faced a charge under the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act alleging they were involved in serious and organised crime.

The charge states they conspired to steal the Land Rover and a Volkswagen Golf and used them in the commission of a housebreaking at the Co-op shop, making off with an ATM containing £16,100.

Miah faced further motoring charges over the incident. He was accused of driving a Mercedes AMG car bearing false number plates without consent of the owner and without insurance.

He is further alleged to have driven dangerously in the McDonald's car park in Arbroath by "repeatedly and purposefully" reversing the car into a Volkswagen Passat estate while there were police officers standing behind it.

Miah, of Anderton Road, Birmingham; Vaughan, of Lyme Grove, Liverpool; Conroy, of no fixed abode, White, of Nyland Road, Liverpool, and Cavanagh, of Barford Road, Liverpool, made no plea or declaration to the charges.

Sheriff Gregor Murray continued the cases for further examination and remanded the men in custody ahead of a further hearing next week.