Mother slams vandals after damage to home

Worried mother of three, Michele Purcell and her husband Angus, of Lingfield Road in Greenham, woke on Monday morning to find that their four-year-old daughter’s bedroom window had been smashed and their garden wall had been kicked down, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.
The couple were woken by a loud noise after 11pm on Monday night but did not discover any damage until the morning.
Although four-year-old Megan slept through the event Mrs Purcell said that she knows something bad has happened and has left her worried.
“It’s just horrible and hard to explain to a child, I don’t know what putting her to bed tonight will be like. Children should feel safe in their own home shouldn’t they?”
Mrs Purcell has put a poster in her garden, asking the vandals whether scaring her daughter and causing over £500 worth of damage was worth it.
“I felt I needed to do something and I hope it will make them think that someone has been scared and that someone will have to pay for the damage,” she said.
“My husband works but doesn’t earn a huge amount and we struggle to make ends meet each month like anyone else.
“It’s probably not worth going through the insurance as our excess is £200 and it would mean our premiums would be higher next year, not just for us but possibly for our neighbours.”
Mrs Purcell said she had spoken to a police community support officer who said that it was an isolated incident, however, there have been acts of vandalism in the area in recent weeks after the tops of pillars had been forcibly removed from garden walls.
The family have contacted neighbours asking whether they saw or heard the disturbance and are also appealing for witnesses to contact the police.