A GANG of Romanians raised suspicion over their activities at a supermarket cashpoint machine, a court heard.

Three people were arrested after police pursued their car from the Tesco store, in Dragonville, Durham City.

An item thrown from the window of their Vauxhall Omega was later recovered and found to be a skimmer device capable of recording details from the metal strip of cash cards, Durham Crown Court was told.

Subsequent inquiries led police to uncover what they believe was a widespread "skimming" fraud at ATM machines outside shops and stores across County Durham and Teesside.

Although the precise amount obtained is unknown, many account holders were fleeced of sums of between £150 and £1,000, by the use of cloned copies of their credit and debit cards.

The court heard that inquiries led police to raid a house in Jefferson Street, Middlesbrough, where officers found the fingerprints of the arrested trio.

Tim Gittins, prosecuting, said: "More importantly, what officers found was a small manufacturing business, a factory making skimming machines, cloning cards and false fronts for placing over cash machines.

"A large number of cards were recovered, about 100 or so, some already cloned with bank details on, even though they were only top-up mobile phone cards, while others were ready to have information placed on them."

Mr Gittins said it emerged such devices had been used at cash machines at a bank in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, and at Tesco stores in Hartlepool and Newton Aycliffe.

One of the trio arrested, Daniel Breahna, 36, of Jefferson Street, admitted conspiracy to defraud financial institutions of money, between April 30 and June 1, at a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, last November.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced at the end of the trial of his co-accused, Claudia Vornicu, 25, and 35-year-old Vasilie Negrean, who have both denied the charge.

Although Mr Negrean, of Willesden, north-west London, and Ms Vornicu, of Ilford, Essex, failed to attend for the start of their trial on Monday, all parties, including Recorder John Lodge, agreed it could still proceed.

The services of two Romanian interpreters has been retained in case the defendants arrive on subsequent days.

Recorder Lodge told jurors: "Their absence is not evidence on its own. You must not use that against them in determining their guilt or innocence.

"You should test the case on the evidence alone."

The trial continues.