A night of chaos in Cardenden saw shops broken into, windows smashed and cars scratched.
Residents of the Fife town woke up on Friday morning to finds their windscreens had been smashed and local shops had been targeted in the sudden spate of anti-social behaviour.
Police are investigating “a number of attempted break-ins and damage to property and vehicles” and officers are patrolling the affected areas.
Baynes the baker’s Cardenden Road store was broken into, while a window was smashed at the Tesco on Station Road.
A bin from the supermarket was thrown into the nearby River Ore.
Police say they are “keeping an open mind” about whether the incidents are linked.
Among those who woke to the destruction were Cole Gilfillan and his girlfriend, Eve Hamilton.
The pair has been staying at Cole’s flat on Cardenden Road when 19-year-old student Eve’s car was targeted.
Her windscreen and wing mirror were smashed and her paintwork scratched.
Cole, 21, said: “I got a text from my friend that his car had been hit and went outside to check mine and Eve’s.
“My car wasn’t hit. Eve’s was parked on the street just behind mine.”
Cardenden damage appears to ‘be done by more than one person’
He added: “It’s frustrating, especially this time of year which is an expensive one.
“It looks like it was on purpose and more than one person has done it because there’s damage on both sides of the car.
“I don’t remember hearing anything at the time.
“It must have happened in the dead of night when everyone was asleep.
“We think it happened anywhere between 9pm and 6am.
“It seems they went up and down every street, they targeted more than one.”
Cole’s friend Daniel Clemison found his windscreen smashed when heading to work at 6.40am.
He said: “I thought it was frost on the windscreen at first but the side windows weren’t frosted and I thought that was really weird.
“Then when I opened the door I saw the shattered glass.
“I went to bed at about midnight and never heard anything happening.
“It looks like a couple other cars near me have been targeted too.
“It’s just a pain and such a nightmare.
“There is a CCTV camera across the road that directly points at my car so it’s easy to check that and see who did it.”
Local councillor Lea McLelland said she is “absolutely disgusted” by the vandalism.
She added: “I am confident that the local community and police will find out who is responsible for this and will be dealt with appropriately.
“I am also hopeful that this is an isolated incident and that we don’t see further attacks on people’s property.”
Baynes and Tesco have been approached for comment.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of a number of attempted break-ins and damage caused to property and vehicles in Cardenden on Thursday and Friday.
“Enquiries are ongoing and officers are keeping an open mind about links between these incidents as investigations progress.
“Anyone with information can call 101 or speak to any police officer.”
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