A “nasty spate of vandalism,” in which the exterior mirrors of cars were torn off and tires slashed, prompted the police to start patrols overnight.
Several cars are said to have been wrecked along Symons Avenue, Green Lane and Flamboro Close in Eastwood.
Now the number of attacks in the past few weeks has forced Essex Police to take action to stop the attacks.
An unspecified witness heard a neighbor’s car smashed on Symons Avenue at 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
He said, “I heard two loud pops around 2am, so I put on some clothes and went outside to see what it was. I couldn’t find anyone or anything as it took me a few minutes to get dressed. I didn’t notice the smashed windshield on the neighbor’s car until I was walking the dog a few hours later.
“Apparently the screens of several other cars were smashed that same night. What makes people do something like that is a mystery to me. ”
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Eastwood resident Verina Weaver, 65, heard it had happened every night for the past few weeks.
She said, “From everything I have been told, there is a gang of youth who drink and then wait until around 1am to attack the area. They appear to be aiming at cars parked near alleys.
“It’s worrying. It’s not just a little bit of vandalism. Their windshields are smashed and the exterior mirrors torn off.
“What we don’t want is for it to spread outside of the area.”
An Essex Police Department spokesman said: “We are aware of the problem and have examined a number of reports.
“As a result, targeted patrols are being deployed in the area overnight, and we encourage anyone who wishes to speak to our officers about the problem to do so.
“The more reports we receive, the better we can create an intelligence picture and the more effectively we can combat problems such as criminal damage and anti-social behavior.”
