Residents woke up to scenes of “carnage” after the tyres of 17 cars were slashed overnight.
The damage happened outside a block of flats on St James’s Close in Shirley, leaving families unable to take their children to school, preventing some residents from getting to work, and leaving others facing repair costs they say they cannot afford.
Several vehicles, including taxis, were targeted, with some cars left with as many as three flat tyres.
It is believed the incident happened overnight into Thursday morning and was discovered early in the morning by people heading to work and school.
Syed Hussaini, 37, who has lived at the close for eight years, said the scale of the damage only became clear when he went outside.
Syed said: “At first I thought someone had just let the air out of the tyres. But when I came down I found that 17 cars had been stabbed. Some cars had three tyres damaged.”
He said police had been contacted and residents, with officers now asking for photographs of the damage as part of the investigation.
Single mum Colette Barnes had two tyres slashed and said the incident had a severe impact on her family.
Colette said: “I’m on the breadline and I can’t afford two new tyres. My daughter had her birthday last month and my son’s is coming up. This has completely thrown everything off.
“I’ve had to walk my kids to school, and I can’t take them to clubs, to see family or even get them where they need to be.
“It’s incredibly stressful and it’s made me feel really unwell.”
Taxi driver Nesar Rahimi, 36, said the attack would cost him several days’ wages and stop him from working.
Nesar said: “I woke up at seven and saw three tyres punctured. They were changed yesterday at £100 each. That’s about three days’ wages gone. I can’t work until I fix it.”
Resident Piotr Wegrzycki, 49, who has lived in the area for five years, said he was “pretty angry” and worried the tyres could be slashed again.
Residents claim requests for CCTV have previously been ignored and are now calling on the council to install cameras to improve safety and prevent further incidents.
Police are now investigating. Inspector Andrew Proctor said: “ “At this time, we are aware of six vehicles that have been affected. We understand how concerning this is for residents, and we want to reassure the community that we are taking these reports seriously.
“If you live in the area, we encourage you to check your vehicle before driving. If you discover any damage, or if you have not yet reported damage to your vehicle, please get in touch so we can continue to build a full picture of what has happened.
“Our officers will be carrying out house-to-house enquiries and a full CCTV scope of the area, and will continue to follow all available lines of enquiry.
“We have also increased patrols in and around St James Close to provide visibility and reassurance. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to speak with the officers on patrol, they are there to help.”
Anyone with evidence should call 101 and quote incident number 44260189204.
