VANDALS SLASH IN SUBURBS

Residents deflated by vandalism spree

SENSELESS vandals have left about 30 motorists without the use of their cars on the public holiday after a Saturday night slashing spree.

The offenders struck in Blackmans Bay when they slashed the tyres of dozens of cars parked on the street, leaving most of the vehicles with two slashed tyres and no opportunity to repair them with businesses closed for the long weekend.

VANDALS have left dozens of cars with flat tyres in Blackmans Bay following a slashing spree over the long weekend.

Shocked residents woke on Sunday morning to find about 30 cars had reportedly been targeted in Diamond Drive, Amethyst Drive and surrounding streets.

Residents said it appeared someone had been through the hilly, sporadically lit area overnight with a knife and punctured all tyres on the road side but left ones on the kerb side untouched.

One man said even though his car was in his driveway its tyres were flattened.

When the Mercury drove through the area yesterday at least 10 cars with tyres that had been deflated were spotted.

Zoe Zhou, a 29-year-old University of Tasmania accounting graduate, was one local whose car was targeted.

She said the slashing of two tyres on the driver side of her yellow Toyota Yaris would leave her hundreds of dollars out of pocket as her insurance excess would likely make a claim pointless.

“It’s very annoying,” Ms Zhou said. “Fortunately I don’t need to go anywhere at the moment so that’s why it’s OK.

“But I need my car to drive to exams sometimes.”

Ms Zhou’s housemate Jose Garcia, 29, who discovered the damage to her Yaris on Sunday morning, said it was fortunate his car was parked off the street because he had to go back to work this week.

“It’s not good because that can happen again,” he said. “If it’s someone in the neighbourhood that’s just having some fun then they might be like, I’ll do it again.

“It’s such an inconvenience — to get them fixed people have to spend a day, maybe two,” Mr Garcia said.

Rick McClean said the crime was “very unusual” and he had never seen anything like it in his 25 years of living in the area.

Kingston Police are investigating while Tasmania Police yesterday could not provide anyone to comment on the incident.

Anyone with information can contact the police station on 6173 2090 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.