A BURGLAR who stole cigarettes fromanewsagentshas also been on a vehicle vandalising spree, targeting cars and vans.

The crook has vandalised eight vehicles and repeatedly broken into a newsagent’s shop during the crime wave in the Clifftown Parade and Western Esplanade areas of Southend.

Pavilion Newsagents, inStation Road, Westcliff, has been broken into and damaged three times and the vehicles have also been attacked over the last month between 2am and 6am.

Steve Kirschner, 47, who runs Trusted Cleaning Company, in Clifftown Parade, said his vanhad been broken into, while a neighbour had her BMW scratched.

He said: “It’s non-stop round here.

Every day there is antisocial behaviour.

There’s trouble everywhere and people just hanging about.

“I know there has been a few incidents of people getting their cars damaged.

I don’t understand why, for what reason? It used to be a nice area round here, but not any more, it’s happening everywhere.”

Chris Pierce, 32, of Clifftown Parade, said: “I know one person round here who had her car broken into. You don’t expect that round here.

“I don’t understand the motives of people. What do they get from destroying people’s property? I keep my car safe inside my garage.”

The newsagent believes the same person is responsible.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said he broke in to steal a large quantity of the store’s most expensive cigarettes.

She added: “He knows what he is doing.Hebreaks in slowlysonoone sees and then comes in, gets what he wants and is gone by time the police get here.

“It’s very dark in here, so he clearly knows his wayround the shop very well.

We leave things out to stop him getting through, but he still manages to get what he wants.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We had reports of a burglary at the newsagents in which a glass door panel was forced on August 5. An untidy search of the premises was made. We are unable to determine what was taken at this time.

“We had reports of a damaged front windowat the premises on August 14 at 2.30am. The window was smashed with an object and the front door was kicked, but entrywasn’t gained