RESIDENTS were riled after vandals keyed the length of seven parked cars in the middle of the night.

Christine Brown, of Albert Street in Colchester, was just about to leave for work one morning when she noticed a scratch down the site of her company car.

After further investigation the 47-year-old noticed another six cars parked along the side of the road had been targeted by mindless vandals.

She said: “I noticed it at about 9am on Monday morning, it’s a street where everyone parks in the road.

“I always take a look around my car to check for damage or flat tyres and I noticed a scratch- I thought, why are they targeting me?

“I had a wander down the whole street and counted seven cars in total, I would assume it was done with a key and it was all the way down the car.”

She said the street has been targeted previously as it is so close to the town centre and Castle Park.

She has had two tyres slashed in the past, but nothing of this scale has happened for a few years. She said: “The neighbours are just as angry as me, I have lived here 20 years now.

“It’s a shame because we all like living here as it’s close to the town centre, but you tend to be at a higher risk of that.

“It’s just a careless person, they got the wings of the cars as well.

“They have gone the whole length of them so they will need a full respray down one side.

“They even got the wing mirrors.”

She called the police and has asked her neighbours to do the same.

As it was an isolated incident, she said there was not much that could be done to deter the vandals.

She said lots of residents use the road as a cut-through from the town centre, which makes it an easy target for those looking to cause trouble on their way home.

A spokesman from Essex Police said: “Police are investigating three reports of cars being scratched.

“On Monday, June 12, a 47-year- old woman reported that her Honda was damaged between 7pm on Friday, June 9, and 9am on Monday, June 12.

“We then received a call from a 41-year-old woman who reported that her Citroen was damaged between 7pm on Sunday, June 11, and 9am on Monday, June 12.

“Officers received a third report on Tuesday, June 13, from a man, 43, about a Toyota that was damaged between 8pm on Sunday, June 11 and 10am on Monday, June 12.”

There is a possibility some other cars down the road have been targeted, as Christine said some residents had already left for work.

She is encouraging anyone who has not already done so to report any damage to the police.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101.