Traders shattered as vandals prove a pain

Melissa Hentschel was disappointed to see her shop front damaged by vandals this morning. 123596 Picture: GREG CARRICK

By JESSE GRAHAM

TECOMA traders were left dismayed this morning, when a number of shops were left vandalised this morning down the main shopping strip.
Melissa Hentschel, from Reptarium, said that she came to work this morning (Tuesday 8 July) to see deep scratches across the windows of her shop, along with others along the Burwood Highway.
She said that the damage to the windows was worse than simple spray paint, as the scratches were too deep to be polished out, and that the windows would likely have to be replaced.
Ms Hentschel said the vandalism came at a horrible time for the town, with all of the shops along Burwood Highway recently filled with traders.
“As fast as you try to make the shops in the town look nice, it costs us money on a continual basis to remove graffiti,” she said.
The damage has been reported to Belgrave police, and Ms Hentschel said that she would be looking through CCTV footage to try and gather evidence for police to investigate.
Anyone with information on the damage can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
For the full story, see next week’s Mail.