Restalrig residents wake to aftermath as vandals trash cars

Locals in Restalrig Crescent and Findlay Avenue woke up on Sunday morning to discover 17 cars had smashed windscreens as well as damaged roofs, bumpers, wing mirrors and paintwork.

They said a portable television was found next to one vehicle, having apparently been used to shatter its windscreen.

Detectives at Lothian and Borders Police, who are appealing for witnesses, condemned the spree as “malicious” and said it caused damage worth several thousand pounds.

Restalrig Crescent resident Ross Lavery, 28, was heading out to work at around 5.45am on Sunday when he discovered one of the vandals had tried to put a foot through the windscreen of his 
Jaguar X-type.

The father-of-two said: “At first I thought it must have been really icy during the night but as I got closer, I noticed the windscreen was really smashed – then I noticed the car two doors down from me was smashed as well. I was raging.”

Mr Lavery, an emergency response worker at the Rosyth naval dockyard, said his anger at the attack – which came only a few months after he bought the Jaguar – soon turned to shock.

He said: “We’ve lived here for five years and not had 
anything like this. There’s no-one around here we don’t get on with.”

His wife, Janine, 22, a student nurse who is in the second year of her BA course at Edinburgh Napier University, said she heard an argument in the street at around three o’clock on Sunday morning but was unaware of the attack.

She said: “We are absolutely furious. The amount of damage they have done is just spectacular, and it’s completely and utterly pointless.”

Detectives said they wanted to trace three men who were seen in the area in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The first man is described as white and in his early twenties. He is around six feet tall with a medium build and spiky blond hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved white T-shirt, jeans and white trainers.

The second individual is also described as white and in his early 20s. He is around 5ft 10in tall with a medium build and short black hair. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved top with brown shoulder pads, brown trousers and dark shoes.

The third man is described as white and in his early 20s. He is around 5ft 10in tall with a thin build. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans with a “V” design on the rear pockets and a blue 
baseball cap with a white brim and “R” logo on the front.

Officers at Lothian and Borders Police said some victims may not yet have discovered the damage to their cars and urged them to come forward when they do. A police spokesman said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity in or around Restalrig Crescent on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, or who can help 
identify those responsible for these random and malicious acts of vandalism.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0131-311 3131.