Yobs pelt passing cars with bricks and stones in Wolverhampton
Bricks and stones are being hurled at cars including taxis by gangs of youths congregating in areas of Wolverhampton late at night, it emerged today.
Police say there have been reports of 13 vehicles, including five black cabs, being damaged in the last six weeks by the yobs in Parkfields and Whitmore Reans. And taxi bosses say the could be at least 10 other cases as some drivers are not reporting the attacks to police.
Drivers passing through streets including the Birmingham New Road have been targeted on Friday and Saturday nights.
Incidents have also been reported along the Black Country Route and Thompson Avenue, in Parkfield.
In some cases up to £500 of damage has been caused, with windows being smashed and bodywork dented. Officers have now stepped up patrols in the areas.
Chairman of Wolverhampton Taxi Owners' Association Parminder Sekhon said: "I avoid the area now as it is happening every week.
"These bricks can cause some serious damage and it is lucky no-one has been badly injured. The drivers are trying to make a living so they don't want to lose money by avoiding certain streets but you never know when it is going to be your turn to be hit next."
A 44-year-old taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said he has been targeted twice in the last six weeks while driving along Birmingham New Road at the Parkfield Road junction.
At about 2am on June 8 a back passenger window was smashed by a brick, which also dented the door, causing £500 of damage.
He was returning from dropping off passengers in Dudley so there was no-one in the back of the car at the time.
And four weeks earlier in the same location a stone was hurled at his windscreen, causing a crack on the driver's side.
The father-of-two said: "You feel vulnerable. If one of those bricks comes through and hits me I could be killed.
"I've really had to think about driving around there now because you wonder what will happen next."
Police spokeswoman Gina Lycett said 13 offences had been reported to police in recent weeks, including taxis and cars.
Mr Sekhon said some drivers had not always reported individual attacks to the police.
He explained: "A lot of them don't think anything will be done about it so they just get the damage fixed and move on."
