Up to 15 cars were smashed in an evening rampage by a driver reportedly armed with a catapult.

Dozens of car windows were damaged across Bowers Gifford between 6pm and 8pm, with a driver reportedly seen using a catapult and stones out of the moving car.

Cars were smashed on several roads, including Pound Lane and London Road.

One resident, whose son’s car window was smashed, had her own living room window smashed in with a catapult only a month ago.

Saturday's incident has been described as a "climax of a crime wave" in the area, with similar attacks occuring throughout lockdown.

Another resident, although not affected at the weekend, had both the back and front car windows smashed in by the force of the catapult on Tuesday.

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Craig Rimmer, councillor of the Pitsea south east ward, who reported seeing more than six damaged cars on Sunday morning, said: "It is absolutely shocking to see the sheer carnage people have had to wake up to on Father’s day of all days.

"The residents living along Pound Lane and London Road have had to put up with this for months and this latest incident where up to 15 car windows have been smashed is the final straw.

"I am confident that our police will take this matter seriously and I will be writing to them to follow up on what they are doing to catch the culprits.

"I encourage anybody who has evidence to contact the police directly.”

Essex Police has been contated for a statement