New spate of tyre slashings spreads to Stoke and prompts police plea

Another spate of tyre slashings in Nelson has prompted police to ask residents to report the incidents to them.

Several people in Stoke woke on Wednesday to find that the tyres on their vehicles were flat after being slashed. This follows a spate earlier in June, where several people in Atawhai and Dodson Valley reported having their tyres slashed.

A police spokeswoman said that in the last three weeks, they had received only two reports of tyres being slashed. Police wanted to encourage people to report any incidents to the non-emergency service, either online or by calling 105.

The Nelson Mail has spoken with three other people in Stoke who have had tyres on their vehicles slashed in recent weeks, and comments on social media show that there are likely to be more.

A Stoke woman, who did not want to be named, said all four tyres were slashed on her car three weeks ago. Then on Wednesday, she hopped into her car to go to work – but after driving only a short distance, she returned home after noticing that her tyres were flat again.

‘‘It is awful. It is strange – I don’t see what joy they get out of it. ‘‘I’m too scared to leave [the car] out. I just can’t afford to buy new tyres every three weeks.’’ She said she knew others on her street who had also been affected, and had spoken with her neighbours about being vigilant about reporting anything out of the ordinary.

‘‘If there are people around doing that, what other things are they going to do?’’

Another man told the Mail that his two front tyres were first slashed a month ago, while he was car was parked on the street outside his house in Stoke. On Wednesday morning, another two of his tyres were slashed again.

‘‘I’m hoping it doesn’t happen a third time, or I am going to have to get cameras.’’

The man said he knew of other people whose vehicles had been damaged. He wasn’t sure if he had been targeted or if there were just people ‘‘going around slashing tyres’’.

The man said he didn’t report the first incident to police, but had reported the second and was yet to hear back from them.