Rampage leaves a trail of destruction

Man smashes shop windows with shovel

A man armed with a shovel went on a 20-minute rampage smashing shop windows, homes and cars.

Bystanders watched in horror as a trail of destruction was left along the main shopping area of Whitstable on Monday evening.

Dozens of windows were damaged along Cromwell Road and on both sides of Oxford Street and the lower end of the High Street.

Among the buildings hit were the library, a charity shop, pub, takeaways, a hairdresser and a chemist. Andrew Mitchell, 30, manager of the Rock Lodge bar in Oxford Street, chased the man with colleague, Aaron Neil.

“He hit our windows three or four times. When he realised it wouldn’t go through, he carried on with the rampage.

“It’s terrifying to see an uncontrollable man smash things up with a massive shovel, but I knew that we needed to stop him.

“A group of around 10 of us started to chase him and as soon as we did, he made a run for it.

Mr Mitchell says it was lucky no one hurt during the rampage.

“If we didn’t chase him then I believe that he would have continued down the street on his rampage and that could have ended up with someone being seriously hurt.”

Andy Thomas, who has run town centre shop Kite and Things for 25 years, says damage to his store will cost hundreds of pounds to repair.

“Three of my front windows got smashed and two of them are not laminated so when they were hit glass scattered everywhere across the shop. But we remain open as normal.”

David Urmstone, of the Burgate Coffee House, was at the back of his cafe ready to close up for the day.

“I heard this smashing sound and there was general commotion. We had our window smashed and tables and chairs damaged but luckily no customers were in at the time.”

Geoff Champs, of Champseys bakery, praised the community spirit following the rampage.

“It’s not nice and I don’t think anyone here wants that man on the High Street again but putting things in to perspective there were more than 20 people killed in Manchester – whereas no one was injured here.”

Traders complained about the police response, claiming it took officers 50 minutes to arrive, an estimate disputed by the force.

Anson Simms, 36, of no address, was due to appear via video at Medway magistrates’ court yesterday (Wednesday) charged with criminal damage.