Family run coach company shocked by vandal damage

Tom Harris said he was left "in shock" by the damage left behind by vandals

The owners of a family-run coach company in Herefordshire say they have been left "in shock" after vandals caused £17,000 worth of damage.

H&H Coaches in Ross-on-Wye was attacked on Sunday evening and police are now searching for four boys, thought to be aged between nine and 13.

Several vehicles, some used to transport children to school, have been put out of action with the company fearing it could now take months to recover.

Director Tom Harris said: "I just cannot believe what I have seen, I am in shock and I just did not know what to do."

Damage was caused to a school minibus, with the windscreen and three driver’s side windows also smashed.

A coach had a skylight kicked out and a car had a window smashed.

The vandals used the emergency hammers to smash windows

A third minibus had four windows smashed and fire extinguishers were also stolen from some of the coaches and buses.

Mr Harris first noticed something had happened when he arrived at the compound on Monday morning.

He recalled: "I just noticed there were doors open everywhere and I thought: 'Oh my God, what has happened here?'

"I started rummaging through coaches and there were fire extinguishers let off, sky lights were kicked out, windows put through."

H&H Coaches has lost money after not being able to fulfil its school contract

The director then phoned the local council and schools in the area to inform them that their coaches were out of action.

"We now lose money for not running that school contract, so the damage plus everything else is just frightening," explained Mr Harris.

He is now pushing West Mercia Police to find the boys responsible and get them in court to act as a deterrent for future attacks.

• Listen to H&H boss Mr Harris discuss the attack on BBC Sounds

H&H was attacked once before when a coach had every window smashed.

Mr Harris said: "If they get away with it they think it is OK to keep doing it.

"The coppers who are dealing with it this time are very good and they are relaying all the information back to me and they want to prosecute the offenders for doing it, which is what I want."

Mr Harris hopes the boys' prosecution can act as a deterrent to stop further attacks

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said officers were appealing for witnesses who were near Broadmeadow Yard between 05:30 GMT and 06:00.

Sgt Alice Bennett of South Herefordshire Safer Neighbourhood Team said: "We would like anyone who may have seen this criminal damage or knows who these youths to get in touch with us please.

“Aside from the cost of the criminal damage to the business, their actions have left a local firm unable to operate as normal which has inconvenienced both them and their customers."