VANDALS flung tar over a series of shops and public property in Kinson.

The charity shop Prama was among those left with a costly clean-up bill after the spate of damage.

The shop’s manager, Avril Meechan said the damage had been putting off customers.

“I arrived to unlock the shop and I saw stuff on the door.

“It’s over the two front doors, which are glass,” she said.

“At first it looked like mud. Then I saw it was a brown colour and I thought it was horse manure. I went out with a jug of water but it stayed put. I got a scraper and as I took a big chunk off, I realised it was tar.”

She added: “I’m having to keep the door open, even though we’ve got the heating on, because if the doors are closed, people think it’s something mucky and they don’t want to touch the door.

“Even when the doors are open, they don’t want to touch the glass. It’s off-putting to customers.”

Tar was also thrown at a nearby cake shop and home clearance shop, as well as a post box and the electrical box at the traffic lights.

Kinson ward councillor Dennis Gritt said: “The Prama shop is a very good shop and of value to Kinson.

“Anything that’s harmful to them needs to be sorted out straight away.

“Antisocial behaviour is decreasing but when you hear of something like this, or the graffiti they’ve had in Southbourne and the town centre, it knocks you.”