TAXI drivers have been left reeling after their cars were targeted by vandals in Bournemouth over the busy Christmas weekend.

It is thought around 30 vehicles in total, from various taxi companies, had their tyres slashed around the Charminster area overnight on Christmas Day into Boxing Day.

Derek Heritage, marketing manager at United Taxis, said: “Certainly ourselves and Mobile Taxis were targeted.

“All of our drivers are self-employed. It’s a chronic time for it to happen to us.

“Frankly it’s not against any particular company I don’t think.

“One driver spent Christmas Day with his family and came out to earn some money on Boxing Day and found eight tyres on two cars slashed.”

One driver, who asked not to be named for fear of being targeted again, said similar incidents had happened in the same area around six months ago.

He added that the cost of replacing the tyres on the two cars that he runs was “crippling” alongside other running expenses.

Another driver, Steve Huggins, who works for Mobile Taxis, had all four of his tyres slashed.

He said: “I was hoping to work Boxing Day and I couldn’t, and of course it cut me right out of earning whatever money was around and it’s cost me £280 on four new tyres.

“I couldn’t work for two days because I had to wait for the tyre places to open. You worry whether it’s going to happen again – at £280 a time, where do you put your car?”

Sgt Len Vickery, from Dorset Police, said: “Some of the taxis had all four of their tyres damaged. This ultimately rendered the vehicles useless until the repairs were carried out, thereby affecting the livelihoods of the owner-drivers.”

Anyone with details is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident 60 of December 26.