An appeal has been launched to bring to book a joyrider whose off-road antics frightened a group of elderly residents in Wick.
The individual drove either a quad bike or small car over the front green of a block of houses in Loch Street leaving the ground criss-crossed with tyre tracks.
The incident was yesterday condemned by Caithness councillor Raymond Bremner who has reported it to police in a bid to catch the culprit.
“This sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and having spoken to one or two of the elderly residents, it was obviously a frightening experience for them,” he said.
Mr Bremner saw the damage when he visited the area in the Pulteneytown part of Wick to help plan proposed environmental improvements.
He said: “We are looking to provide new car parking and street lighting by demolishing garages at the back of the houses.
“But now we are going to have to sort out the mess that has been left by this individual right outside their front windows.”
Mr Bremner is unaware of any other such damage but knows residents have concerns about other anti-social behaviour in the area which is going unreported.
He said: “I think all acts of vandalism or criminal damage need to be followed and I have reported this one to police and to the council’s anti-social behaviour officer.
“You can’t tell me that someone in the local community does not know who did this – right in front of pensioners’ houses in the middle of a housing scheme, with a lot of noise and what looks like quad bike tracks or those of a small car. “I’m asking the community to support the frightened pensioners by passing on information they may have about who may have done this and also to keep an eye on this area and as soon as anything like this happens again, take photos, videos and let the authorities know.”
Mr Bremner said the incident occurred about a fortnight ago during the hours of darkness.
He said it follows a spate of vandalism in the town’s Riverside over the summer, including damage to a play area and public toilets.
He said: “I’m keen this mindless vandalism is nipped in the bud and not allowed to escalate. Those responsible need to know we will not tolerate this behaviour and that they will be caught.”
In the meantime, the green is to be fenced off while the ground is reinstated.
Police have been contacted for a comment.