Windows smashed in Wallington Square

A single person caused thousands of pounds worth of damage in Wallington Square on Tuesday evening. The windows of five shops were smashed in an isolated and unusual incident. Police were on the scene within minutes after being alerted by CCTV and were able to prevent the vandalism spreading to other shops in the square or the high street. The perpetrator has been placed under arrest.

Cllr Hall and I visited Peacocks and Richard Marks today to talk to the owners. Peacocks was the worst affected, and are working to replace the windows as quickly as possible. It is important to get this done as boarded up windows and doors can attract further vandalism and make the area appear less safe than it really is. Well done to the discount shop for having replaced their broken windows already.

We also discussed with the shop managers the need to keep some lights on at night. Richard Marks was recently broken into in what appears to have been a targeted robbery. Police believe that lights in shops at night can be a deterrent to burglars and also enable the local SNT teams to check inside the shops for intruders.

As well as the building works to the front we know that the owners of Wallington Square are working hard to find tenants for the empty shops. The more shops we have occupied here the safer the area will be, as well as providing a welcome complement to the range of shops in Wallington.

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