Kentish Express Ashford & District
Catapult yobs take aim at car showroom
A car dealership suffered thousands of pounds in damage following two catapult attacks.
Staff at Lipscomb Fiat in Chart Road were left with three cars needing repairs after two successive nights of vandalism.
The first attack happened at about 12.45am on Friday, May 29, when four people could be seen on CCTV crossing the road towards the showroom followed by one of the car’s alarm lights going off.
Assessing the damage the following day, the branch’s aftersales director Barry Wilson noted two driver’s doors had been dented and their windows smashed.
The following night, four individuals - possibly the same four - approached the site with two greyhound or whippet-type dogs and the same damage was done to a third car.
Mr Wilson said: “I was taking a day off when I had a phone call from the manager of our Maidstone branch to ask if I knew about the incidents on the forecourt.
“We’ve had three cars attacked with the cost in excess of £1,000 per car - the damage is quite substantial.
“Something’s got to be done - looking at the damage the ball bearings did and the distance they travelled, if someone gets in the way of one they could be seriously hurt.”
Last month’s events follow a similar episode in October, when a ball bearing was fired at a car, bouncing off and hitting one of Lipscomb’s windows before it hit a second car.
The Kentish Express revealed last year how Ashford is the catapult crime capital of Kent, and how in November a number of cars suffered smashed windows only metres away from the Lipscomb dealership.
In December, plans emerged to demolish the Lipscomb site and build 65 one and two-bed flats in its place.
While it is not known when the showroom will close, or how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the process, Lipscomb will increase focus on its Chartham and Aylesford dealerships.
■ Anyone with any information on the attacks is urged to call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/92000/20.