YOBS left a trail of devastation after trashing a row of fencing.

Residents say parts of the High Road, Laindon, are vandalised almost on a weekly basis.

One man even had to be taken to see a doctor when a nail punctured his foot after it had fallen out of a busted post.

Jennifer Dourado, 29, who lives nearby, said: “My 65-year-old mum lives here, and I don’t like the thought of her being here if vandals are hanging around outside.”

A 50-year-old woman who also lives on the High Road heard the vandals at about 3am on Monday morning.

The woman, who asked not be named, said another neighbour saw the culprits, three men, get into a taxi after their wrecking spree.

She added: “This mess makes you ashamed to say you live here.

“We’ve reported it to the council, but they don’t bother to do anything about it.

“This happens up to three times a month and normally we don’t report it to the police or council, we just clean it up ourselves. But this is definitely the worst it’s been.”

John Dornan, Tory councillor for Laindon Park, said: “This is just wanton destruction, which sounds like it’s being done by people from outside Laindon.

“I will be taking this back to the council and St George’s Community Housing Association to get something done.

“Even if we have to install temporary CCTV cameras to catch the perpetrators, then we will.”

Insp Simon Anslow, of Laindon police, said: “I will be speaking to Basildon Council to ensure they do make us aware of any criminal damage reported to them.

“Likewise our officers will be routinely patrolling that area and reporting any damage they come across.

“The levels of antisocial behaviour are low in Laindon, but issues such as this do affect people’s quality of life and for that reason we are taking this very seriously."