Police have appealed for the public’s help after six cars were damaged across one weekend, and dozens of others targeted in the past few months. Victim Iain Macvinish’s car was scratched with a key and the windscreen smashed in three places during one attack outside his Garshake Terrace home. His wife and daughter’s cars were also damaged in the attack adding to a repair bill that could stretch to hundreds of pounds.

Mr Macvinish branded the vandals ‘Neanderthals’ and wants more to prevent this happening to other people. He told the Reporter: “The cars were parked outside the house on the Friday night, I’d heard voices in the street but took no notice as it wasn’t late. When we went to the car the following morning we saw they’d been damaged. All three had been scratched with a key, and my windscreen had been smashed as if someone had been throwing stones at it.” The incident was reported to the police on Saturday January 10 and the cars involved were a black BMW 520, a silver Volkswagen Golf, and a grey BMW 116.

On the same night, police said two other cars were vandalised in Dumbarton. In the first incident, a silver Peugeot 407 which was parked on McGregor Drive was scratched along the length of its passenger side overnight. In the second incident, a blue Fiat Panda which was parked on Brown Avenue, Dumbarton, was scratched along its entire length. A ‘swastika’ was also scratched into the bonnet of the car.

On the Sunday a red Vauxhall Astra parked on Hill Street, Alexandria, had its front nearside tyre slashed. In another incident the rear passenger window of a silver Daewoo Lanos parked on Muir Crescent, Alexandria was deliberately smashed about 3.10am on Sunday. Six boys had been seen hanging around the area.

Mr Macavinish said: “This is not exactly work of master criminals. This is brainless vandalism.

He added: “It’s made me more wary, but its par for the course these days. You almost expect it. There’s been quite a lot of incidents so we’re not alone. I don’t think they’re the sharpest tools in the box by any means. Hopefully they’re caught soon.” The 63 year-old feels that more CCTV would be helpful in the area.

He said: “There is CCTV on the council property but it faces inwards. Garshake is a busy junction and there’s a lot of accidents there. It would be helpful for the junction and indeed our area if there was a bit more CCTV to apprehend these vandals.” Inspector Neil Smith, of Dumbarton police office, said: “The cars involved seem to have been randomly targeted and I would ask anyone who may have seen or heard anything in either incident to contact us on 101 or, if they would prefer to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”