Car torched after ramming into Livingston shopping centre in armed gang robbery

A car was torched after ramming into a shopping centre as an armed gang stole designer clothes in West Lothian.

Emergency services were called before half past midnight to reports of a vehicle alight outside the Centre in Livingston.

Police say four men got out of a black Nissan Juke car and a white Audi S5 vehicle and approached the east side of the shopping centre.

The suspects smashed an external display window, and entered briefly but were unable to gain entry to the main store.

One of the men then re-entered the Nissan Juke and reversed the vehicle through one of the bollards and smashed through both sets of glass doors, allowing entry to the centre.

They entered one of the shops and grabbed several rails of designer clothing, which they placed in the Audi.

A short time later, police said the Nissan was torched, and the gang fled in the Audi, driving off at speed along the pathway towards the roadway and into Almondvale Road heading East.

The Audi was later recovered nearby on the outskirts of Dechmont and a quantity of stolen property was found within the vehicle.

Footage from the scene showed a car fully alight with large plumes of black smoke in the air.

Police say the car was fully burnt out after crews extinguished the blaze.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews were alerted to a car ablaze and sent two appliances to the scene, leaving around 1.20am.

Residents in the area reported hearing the alarm at the centre going off and a police cordon was set up.

Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the value of the items taken.

Detective Inspector Lee Beaumont said: “Thankfully, no-one was injured as a result of this incident. It was a carefully planned operation in which the four suspects had no thought for the safety of others at anytime.

“The suspects were all wearing dark clothing with their faces covered and were armed with a variety of equipment to enable them to break-into the shopping centre and store within.

“It is vital that we trace the men responsible and I urge anyone who has seen the vehicles hanging around the area or has captured them on CCTV or Dashcam to contact police immediately.”

Anyone with information should contact police via 101 quoting incident number 0052 of March 17, 2026.

Alternatively, calls can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.

The Centre Livingston has been contacted for comment.