Vandalsgoona smashingspree

March 1990

A GANG of vandals went on a mindless rampage of window smashing in Wicklow town in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Damage was caused as huge plate glass windows were shattered by bricks in a number of business premises.

This was the second occasion in the space of a week that windows were smashed.

On the first occasion it was shops on The Mall that suffered. On Saturday last it was Flannerys, Holly’s, The Coffee Shop, The Bridge Tavern and the Vegetable Shop beside the car park.

Gardai confirmed that there had been little of this type of vandalism in Wicklow over the years but warned that traders were going to have to protect their property and this may mean shuttering the town.

A pharmacy owner has described how a brick was thrown through the window on Saturday, smashing the glass and damaging stock.

‘ The window was filled with little tiny slivers of glass so we had to discard everything. It was absolute vandalism and Saturday’s trading was ruined as a result.’

Gardai have vowed to clamp down on this anti-social behaviour and are asking members of the public to contact them if they witness any acts of vandalism or anyone who appears to be behaving in a suspicious manner.

Members of Wicklow Town Council have also complained about the amount of recent damage caused by a number of different incidents over the past few weeks.