Vandals urged to stop before someone is killed

Cars in a Newbury cul-de-sac have been the target of vandals who are driving nails into their tyres

VANDALS who have targeted a Newbury estate by puncturing car tyres with nails could soon cause a fatality, one victim has warned.

Almost 30 incidents have been recorded in the 22-house cul-de-sac Speen Lodge Court over the past 18 months whereby homeowners have discovered nails driven into their car tyres, which caused one man to suffer a shocking incident recently when his car tyre blew out whilst he was driving on the motorway.

Keith Payne, aged 63, who has found seven nails in his car tyres in the past year, costing him £1,000, told of his terrifying experience as his car skidded across the M4.

He said: “I'm not a fast driver. I usually drive in the inside lane. I was driving down the M4 one morning and there was a massive explosion - the tyre completely blew out.

“I was skidding all over the motorway and I could hear the cars behind breaking. It could have caused a mass pile-up. I know how lucky I am.”

He said he and his neighbours were now thinking of putting security cameras up “before someone gets killed” and warned that the vandals could even be endangering their own lives as a tyre could explode when a nail is hammered into it.

The residents ruled out any possibility of accidental punctures as many nails were found in the tyre walls.

Caroline and Nigel Pratten, who also live in the neighbourhood, said they had been targeted eight times in the last 14 months.

Mr Pratten said: “I've had to change three tyres on my Saab as well as paying for repairs. It costs about £100 a tyre and about £20 for repairs.”

He added that he had to check his car every day for signs of vandalism as it was happening so frequently.

Pregnant mother-of-one, Suzie Sitharan, said she feared one day having a serious accident that could endanger her child.

She said: “We had a nail in the wall of the front tyre. I went to my friend's house in the town centre and noticed it. My husband also found a nail in the tread of the tyre last year.

“I'm pregnant and I wouldn't want something to happen while I was driving my daughter to nursery.”

Stuart Forte, who first found a nail in his tyre in January last year, was targeted again last month and on Monday.

He said: “Initially I thought it was a bit of bad luck but then I heard stories from other people.

“We've got a lovely community here but we've got this problem that we need to get to the bottom of.”

Neighbourhood Specialist Officer Ian Bibbins, who is conducting the investigation into the spate of crime, said: “There have been about 30 incidents of nails being found in tyres of vehicles in Speen Lodge Court over the last 12 to 18 months.

“The neighbourhood team is carrying out a police operation in the area after being made aware of the incidents by residents. We are carrying out high visibility patrols of the area and a sign has been put up as a further deterrent.”