Managers at a Wickford home for people with multiple disabilities have pleaded with vandals to call off their mindless plague of destruction.

The Southend Road home, which is run by Billericay-based charity The Hamelin Trust, has suffered a barrage of graffiti, damage to fences and gates and petty theft.

It is part of an upsurge of vandalism in Shotgate.

And after sightings of a prowler lurking in the garden at the home for four residents with learning and other multiple disabilities, staff and relatives have felt increasingly nervous.

Steve Fisher, director of the Trust, said: "Staff are growing increasingly concerned, as are the parents of the residents, not so much by what has actually happened as by what might happen. It can be very intimidating.

"I would like to think that the vandalism is not being specifically targeted against our residents.

''But I just wish these people would stop and think about the impact of what they are doing - not just to ourselves but on our neighbours as well."

Shotgate, particularly the area around the post office, has seen complaints about teenagers playing football into the small hours in recent months and the contents of a post box were torched.

But Wickford Police insist that they can only hope to deal with such problems if residents help them. PC Geoff Whiter said: "We have actually had very few calls from the public in relation to the problems that exist in the vicinity of the post office.

"If people are aware that youths in the area are committing offences we need them to call us at the time so we can respond and deal with the matter effectively.

"If we don't get the calls, we don't know there's a problem and we can't deal with it."

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