"STUPID" vandals who destroyed a car's wing mirror in Romsey have been criticised by a town centre resident.

Hampshire police was alerted to a vehicle that was targeted by hooligans in Love Lane sometime between Saturday [April 10] and Sunday [April 11].

A Romsey resident, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed his wing mirror was kicked off by a group of youths while his car was parked.

He said: "On Saturday evening, I walked up through the town with my neighbour to collect a takeaway coffee and there were ten of these youngsters walking with bikes with their hoods up, but they were heading in the direction of Love Lane where my car was parked.

"It was not until 10 o'clock on Sunday morning that we noticed the damage, because my wife was going to walk round to Waitrose when she saw it.

"My wing mirror was kicked off and it is just annoying more than anything to be honest, because it is just so stupid and unnecessary.

"It has never been like this before in the 50 years we have lived here and has cost us £100."

The man added his dashcam footage could help bring the culprits to justice, believing there could be evidence of the crime on Saturday night.

He explained: "My daughter is coming round tomorrow [April 14] to look at the footage.

"This has made me a bit more aware of where we will park our car."

A spokesperson from Hampshire police urged anyone with information to call the police on 101 quoting 44210136190.

This comes as patrols in the town centre have increased following a rise in damage and anti-social behaviour.

Officers claim young people are the ones causing the issues and patrolled the area over the weekend.

Officers from Andover and Stockbridge helped monitor the town.

A police spokesperson said: "I have made it a priority to identify those responsible."