Victims of a sudden spate of devastating car crime have spoken of their anger as police step up patrols.
Residents in Westhoughton, Bolton, say the town has been gripped by a recent surge in break-ins and vandal attacks at a number of different sites in the centre. One victim, a 57-year-old woman, claimed more than 20 cars have been targeted in total and, in one case, all four tyres of a car were slashed by yobs who went on to pour oil over the seats inside, smash the front windscreen and scratch graffiti into the paintwork.
There have been calls for a public meeting and questions are being asked over the town's main CCTV system.
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Greater Manchester Police said officers were called on Sunday night to 'several reports of vehicles being found damaged' and as a result, police patrols are being stepped up. Chief Inspector Justine Topping said local officers were 'following up a number of lines of enquiry' and appealed to anyone with information to come forward. .
The victim said a brick was used to smash the windows of her Kia Ceed parked on a public car park behind the Aldi store in Westhoughton. She's now collating reports and sharing details over Facebook pages to raise awareness, with other victims calling for a public meeting.
The victim said: "It is quite a recent issue but many thousands of pounds worth of damage must have been caused. Over the last few weeks, Westhoughton has been blighted by constant vandalism of cars.
"There is an Aldi in Westhoughton and a public car park behind it which is not covered by CCTV. That is where our car was damaged on Saturday night. There was another lady on the car park and her car was written off the damage was that bad. She was absolutely devastated."
She said cars have also been damaged and broken into on an overspill car park near Pavilion Square and on the car park off King Street.
"What is common is that windows are smashed and the wires in steering columns have been pulled out," she said.
"They seem to be trying to get cars started, but items have been stolen from cars in other cases.
"On Thursday night someone had all four tyres slashed and oil poured all over the inside of the car. The front windscreen was smashed and graffiti scrawled into the paintwork.
"The car park behind Aldi is literally covered in glass. Last weekend around a dozen cars were targeted. People are now saying that they are not going to go shopping in Westhoughton, which is bad news for the shopkeepers. There have been calls for a public meeting."
The woman said she's heard conflicting reports about the town's CCTV system.
"We do have some CCTV in Westhoughton but there are concerns that it is not switched on, so we are going to raise it with the town council, " she said. "We have heard different stories about its status.
"I reckon there have been 20 or more cars that have been damaged."
In a statement, GMP Bolton North said: "On Sunday 30 April, officers were called to several reports of vehicles being found damaged in the Westhoughton area of Bolton.
"Whilst officers investigate these incidents, members of the public will see an increase of police officers conducting high visibility foot patrols in the area."
Chief Inspector Topping said: "We want our communities to feel safe in the areas where they live, work and socialise and I want to reassure those affected that local officers are following up a number of lines of enquiry. We continue to work alongside partners to combat any anti-social behaviour and crime and would encourage communities to contact us with any information or concerns.
"We would strongly urge members of the local community who live close by or who know anything about this incident to report it to GMP."
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