Plymouth police investigating 120 cases of tyre slashing as man arrested

Investigators have said they want to hear from every person who has had vehicle tyres damage over the past two weeks following the arrest - and bail - of a Plymouth man.

Earlier this month PlymouthLive was alerted to a large spate of instances where tyres had been slashed or punctured in a number of streets, ostensibly over a single night. One resident told PlymouthLive that "over 20 cars" also had their tyres slashed during an overnight spree in the Mannamead area.

They said the vandals targeted vehicles on Fernleigh Road, Elm Rod, Meadfoot Terrace and College Avenue and in many cases the offender damaged two tyres of each car, causing additional difficulties for owners to repair or replace.

One of the victims was said to be an elderly person who was parked in a disabled bay while another was parked in their private driveway.

Police have now confirmed that they are now looking at 120 cases across the city and that a man had been arrested on the evening of Friday December 6, but after interview was released on police bail the following day.

Since then residents in the Hartley area have complained on social media how they they woke up at the weekend to find vehicle tyres let down, or punctured, in a number of streets, including Russell Avenue, Banbridge Avenue, Higher Compton Road and Lockington Avenue.

Some confirmed they had contacted police while others have said they potentially have CCTV cameras which may have captured the incident on camera.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Police investigating reports of tyres being slashed in Plymouth are appealing for information.

"Around 120 instances have been made across the city over the past two weeks, with incidents predominantly in the Higher Compton and Stoke areas of the City. The damage has occurred overnight on public streets.

"On Friday evening, a 53-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. He remains on police bail pending further enquiries."

Insp Dom Nicholls, who heads the south and central neighbourhood policing teams has told PlymouthLive he is now overseeing the inquiry and footage from CCTV cameras and doorbell cams was vital.

He said: "We have arrested a local man and carried out an interview. He was later released on police bail.

"We are continuing to make inquiries and are collating a large number of incidents, but it is absolutely vital that everyone affected gets in contact with us to register the incident, especially the time they believe the criminal damage took place. Knowing where and when these incidents took place will assist us greatly in our ongoing inquiry.

"We are taking this matter seriously because we know it has affected a large number people and is an offence which causes a great deal of inconvenience and is costly.

"If you have any kind of CCTV camera footage, doorcam footage or any information or description of potential suspects, then please do not wait to be contacted - contact the police immediately and it will assist us."

If you can assist police contact them on 101 or via the force website quoting reference 50240285787.

Click here to join PlymouthLive on WhatsApp and we'll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.