Drivers wake up to find cars smashed up by thugs with bricks
Drivers have woken up shocked to discover their vehicle windscreens to be smashed by thugs who targeted them with bricks. Residents of Little Waltham and Broomfield in Chelmsford have reported their cars to be vandalised this week. The vehicles were targeted overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Residents of the neighbourhood woke up to find the debris and ruins of their windscreens while their cars were parked in front of their homes. Essex Police has confirmed they are investigating four separate incidents of vandalism on the night. The force has urged anyone who may have CCTV or dash-cam footage to contact them.
:The latest crime news from across Essex One of the drivers affected was Stacie Manlow, a 34-year-old resident of Brook Hill, Little Waltham. Ms Manlow, who is eight months pregnant, was woken up by her brother in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday as he told her the windscreen had been smashed.
She said: “It was parked outside my front door. I just woke up with the windscreen like that. Further down the road there was another vehicle with the brick still in the windscreen.
Stacie Manlow’s smashed Land Rover windscreen in Little Waltham (Image: Stacie Manlow)
“I have lived here for four years and nothing like that has ever happened.
It’s all very, very unusual. It’s just all criminal damage, very serious, and has been done with force. “They must have got out of their cars and done it.
I went to sleep about 1.15am and the car alarm didn’t go off either. My brother came home at 5.30am to get his truck, woke me up and said someone has smashed through the Land Rover. I’ve never known anything like it.”
A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We are investigating four reports of criminal damage to cars at Little Waltham, Chelmsford. They are reported to have taken place at The Street and Brook Hill between 8pm on Tuesday 10 May and 6am the following morning.
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Signing up couldn’t be simpler – press here, enter your email address, select ‘Essex Court & Crime’ and press save changes. Or just enter your email address in the box at the top of this article and press sign up. “We need anyone who saw anything or has any CCTV, dash cam, or doorbell footage to contact us.
If you have any information you can submit a report online at https://www.essex.police.uk.
“You can use the ‘Live Chat’ button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.
Please quote crime reference 42/118098/22.”