Scantily-clad girls cause £16k worth of damage to bus station

Lipstick, money, phone, and maybe a camera would usually be packed by two girls dolled up to the nines for a night on the town.

But for one scantily-clad pair, a hammer was their must-have item as they headed to Wolverhampton's nightspots.

And the hammer was used to smash up windows at the city's £22.5 million new bus station on their way home – as these CCTV pictures show.

The attack has left transport bosses with a bill of more than £16,000 to replace the shattered glass panes.

Detectives today said they were mystified over the reason behind the attack.

Wearing short skirts and party dresses, the women have been caught on camera repeatedly throwing the hammer at the glass panes at the Pipers Row entrance to the station, behind the court building, until they shatter.

Pc Neil Thompson, from Wolverhampton Police, said: "The attack seems to be completely random.

"Thankfully, the incident was caught on CCTV and we hope that those responsible can be identified from the images."

One of the girls was wearing a short, dark-coloured dress and had purple or dark red hair, while the other was wearing a white skirt and dark top.

Council leader Roger Lawrence said he could not understand why anyone would target the station, which opened in a blaze of glory in July last year.

"I absolutely despair – what on earth do people think they are achieving by doing something so stupid?" he said.

"All it does it cost the public purse more money to put it right. I just cannot imagine what was going through their head.

"I am sure it's all insured but that is not the point – the city has this lovely new bus station and someone has chosen to spoil that for everyone. It's not good at all."

It isn't the first time a multi-million pound project in the city has been targeted by vandals.

The £18m Bert Williams Leisure Centre in Bilston was hit before it was even open by yobs who smashed glass. And the centre has been shot at several time since the start of the year by people bearing air guns.

Around £40,000 worth of damage has been caused at the centre so far.

"I would urge anyone who knows who these girls are, or who on earth carries a hammer on a night out, to come forward," Councillor Lawrence added.

"These people are not doing anyone any favours. We need to send out a message that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable in Wolverhampton, or anywhere else."

National Express spokesman Jack Kelly said the travel company would work with station owners Centro, the transport authority for the region, to get to the bottom of the attack.

"We take crime on the bus network very seriously indeed, and we will do anything we can to help with the investigation," he said.

The bus station opened last July after 15 months of construction. Developers Neptune demolished the old office block Pipers Row House to make way for the new bus station.

They also constructed a new two-storey building to house the National Express West Midlands travel shop and the offices of the Unite trade union.

Sainsbury's also opened a Local store in the building and buffet restaurant Georgie Porgie's is currently preparing to take over the top floor.

When the bus station opened it won praise for its elegant design but there was criticism of bus companies for not making full use of it. The bus station is meant to be the first phase of a wider project to overhaul public transport in the city centre with a new £96m train station planned along with an extension of the Midland Metro from its current St George's terminus down Pipers Row to the railway.

However, transport and council chiefs will be reliant on £20m of public funding along with cash from FirstGroup, which will take over the running of the West Coast Main Line from Virgin Trains in November.

Witnesses or anyone with information on the attack, which happened at around 2.10am on August 11, is urged to call officers on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.