18 cars targeted in drive-by attacks
RESIDENTS have spoken of their shock and disgust after mindless vandals hurling “huge” slabs of stone and brick caused thousands of pounds of damage to cars.
Police said 18 vehicles in Oswaldtwistle, Stanhill and Knuzden were left damaged following two separate late-night rampages. The missiles were thrown from moving vehicles, leaving windows and bodywork badly damaged.
Police said one resident has had to miss out on a holiday to pay for repair work.
Josie Coulson, who lives on Stanhill Road, said the offenders targeted a Renault car belonging to her mum Debra Boulton who lives close by.
She told the Observer: “I was disgusted when I heard what happened.
“My mum called me just before 8am and there was a big rock on the driver’s seat and the window was smashed through.
“They weren’t small rocks they were throwing. They were absolutely huge. The fact that people are having to fork out their own money to pay for the costs and insurance premiums is a poor do.
“I was very shocked. We have kids here as well and it’s disgusting that people have such little disregard for other people’s property.”
Mum-of-two Josie said the damage will cost at least £100 to repair and valet to remove the shattered glass plus the knockon effect on her mum’s insurance premiums.
She added: “At the end of the day this is a really close village and really nothing like this happens down here. I have lived here seven years and we’ve never had any problems like this before.”
Another Stanhill Road resident said his son’s Ford Fiesta and his son’s girlfriend’s Fiat 500 were also badly damaged during the rampage.
The Royal Mail worker, who asked not to be named, said: “I finished work at 2am and came home about 2.30am and saw all the broken glass. At first I thought somebody had smashed the headlights. It’s just mindless vandalism. It’s very upsetting and has cost people a lot of money. It could’ve been very dangerous if somebody was in one of the cars and these bricks whizz through. It could’ve killed somebody.
“It’s all the aggravation that you have to go through to get it sorted. I’m just glad my car wasn’t hit. When and if they catch them it would be great if they could make them pay all the money back, but they will probably just get a slap on the wrist.”