'Concerned' neighbours have spoken out after an 'insane' morning in which their apartment block car park was broken into and around 15 cars vandalised. Residents woke up for work on Monday, February 27, to discover their wing mirrors had been smashed and cars dented during a spate of vandalism in the underground car park at The Cigar Factory, in Derby Road, Canning Circus.
Nottinghamshire Police has now launched an appeal as the force investigate the 'mindless' act which is believed to have taken place in the early hours of Monday morning or late on Sunday, February 26. One worried resident, whose car was more damaged than the others, says "a grand-and-a-half of his possessions were stolen, including expensive trainers, Airpods and a phone.
People living inside the student complex have also expressed concerns about a similar incident taking place again.
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Joanna Hardy, 58, said: "It was pretty much Monday morning because we came downstairs. I go into the underground car park at about quarter-past-seven in the morning and I quickly noticed that bits of my wing mirror were on the floor.
"And then I looked at the other one and noticed that that was literally hanging off by a thread. I noticed it was the same with the car next to me.
"I ended up just walking round the whole car park going 'oh God.' I then called the police and told them what happened and they got there in about half an hour.
"So that was all on my level and there is an underground level of the car park, but we can't get to it from where we are because the fobs are separate for each car park. However, later in the day it became clear that a guy downstairs had his car completely smashed to bits.
"There are two internal doors that aren't locked properly and they'd obviously gone from ours down to theirs or from theirs up to ours. They'd smashed number plates off. I think there were two cars that weren't touched. But the rest, some had had doors kicked.
"Thousands of pounds worth of things. It's just horrible, it's bizarre.
"It was insane, and there may have been more downstairs By the time the police came quite a few people had to go to work - with their shattered wing mirrors.
"So when they came there must have been about 12, 15 cars, but there had been others there. I think the biggest fear now is it's a playground.
"If they enjoyed it this time, what's going to stop them next? I think they just got in and then went crazy. It was so mindless."
Another resident, whose car bore the brunt of the aggression, said: "I came back on Monday morning but this was in the early hours. It was about 12.03 Monday morning.
"I play basketball, so I normally leave my basketball trainers and another pair of shoes in the car, because I use them quite frequently. I work as a supervisor for Just Eat, so I also just leave my helmet in the boot as well.
"But my car is tinted so you wouldn't even be able to see in the boot if you wanted to. I've gone upstairs, gone to bed and my flatmate has woken up at 6.30am for practice.
"He calls and says 'did you hear something last night?' I said 'no, why?' And he says 'your back windshield is on the floor.'
"So I go downstairs and my windshield is completely smashed out, they opened everything through the car, they tore everything out the boot. They stole everything.
"They stole about a grand-and-a-half out of the car. They really went for my car. They stole a phone, business phone, Airpods. The only thing I was really annoyed about is they stole my shoes, because they're expensive.
"I don't know why they've gone out of their way to do this. I really got it the worst, they really gave it to my car and I don't understand why.
"There's nothing that's on display or in open view. I'm definitely concerned and I'm pretty sure it'll happen again. The doors to the building are not secure."
Nottinghamshire Police says five victims have reported damage to their vehicles. An investigation has been launched.
Inspector Ben Lawrence, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are working with the landlord to investigate the incident and offer support to the students affected.
“As part of our inquiries we are asking for the public’s help and urging anyone with information to call police. We’d also particularly like to hear from anyone who may have recorded CCTV or dashcam footage around the time of this incident. ”
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to call 101 quoting incident 69 of 27 February 2023.
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