Businesses in Trent Vale area under attack from vandals

POLICE have stepped up patrols in a Stoke-on-Trent community after vandals targeted businesses.

Youths have been throwing bricks and other weapons at business premises in the Trent Vale area.

The vandals have targeted shops on Springfield Retail Park and other nearby businesses off the A34.

Businessman Sunny Singh runs a windscreen repair business from the car park outside the Halfords store and knows many customers who have fallen victim to the vandals.

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The 23-year-old said: "There have been a lot of problems in the area.

"I recently spoke to a customer whose roof had been ripped off his BMW by vandals with a knife.

"I have seen fights on the car park. Although I am only here working in the day and most of the problems seem to happen at night and in the weekends I do always see police patrolling the area and their presence is quite visible."

Staffordshire Police have taken action after residents complained about the vandalism.

John Clowes, aged 50, of Trent Vale, said: "It is terrible around the area at night.

"You see kids running in and out of the shops and pulling posters down.

"The police patrols seem to have made a difference because there has been less trouble recently, although it did get noticeably worse when Focus closed down about 12 months ago.

"Now Comet has closed, I am worried that it could get a lot worse."

Residents can be updated on the issue at a police surgery at the Reach School, in School Street, Trent Vale, at 6.30pm on Thursday, January 17.

A police spokesman said: "We have increased our high-visibility patrols around the areas that are having problems.

"One of the main areas affected is Quicks car garage where they have had a number of cars damaged by people throwing stones and bricks at the cars."

If you are affected by the anti-social behaviour call police on 101.