A £3,000 REWARD has been offered for information after yobs caused thousands of pounds of damage to 12 new vans.

Essex Autogroup is offering the cash after vandals threw bricks and lumps of wood over the fence of the car compound in Hambro Hill, Rayleigh, causing the damage.

It left ten Ford Transit vans and two Ford Tourneo vans with dented bodywork, smashed windows, broken bumpers, smashed headlights and trashed wheeltrims.

Initially the damage was estimated at £260,000, as it was thought some of the vans would have to be written off.

But Phillip Maskell, chairman of Essex Autogroup, has revealed the vans can be fixed and says cost of the damage is £10,000.

He added: "It could have been a lot worse.

"We are offering £3,000 reward money to anyone who has information which will lead to the identification and potential prosecution of those responsible.

"We would ask anyone who thinks they can help, to follow the proper channels and contact the police."

At the time of the attack, Mr Maskell described the yobs' actions as "needless and unnecessary behaviour".

Anyone with any information about the vandalism, which happened between 10pm on February 29 and 8am on March 3, can call officers at Southend police station on 0300 3334444 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The Essex Autogroup is an organisation whch incorporates Essex Ford, Essex Mazda, Fiat Southend, Rayleigh Jaguar Service Centre, Dunton Land Rover Service Centre and Dunton Volvo Service Centre.