VANDALS wreaked havoc through the streets of Ipswich today as a gang of thugs stripped bricks from an Ipswich churchyard and hurled them at cars.Fuming residents in Waterloo Road woke to assess the damage to their vehicles as shattered glass and booted-in cars marked the scene of carnage inflicted by a group of youths in the early hours.

By Lisa Baxter

VANDALS wreaked havoc through the streets of Ipswich today as a gang of thugs stripped bricks from an Ipswich churchyard and hurled them at cars.

Fuming residents in Waterloo Road woke to assess the damage to their vehicles as shattered glass and booted-in cars marked the scene of carnage inflicted by a group of youths in the early hours.

Bricks ripped from the wall around the churchyard of All Saints on Chevallier Street lay in the middle of the road where they had fallen after being flung at more than ten parked cars as owners slept.

Mark Goldbourne told how he was on his way to bed at around 2am when he heard shouting and screaming in the road followed by the thud of a wall coming down.

"I looked out of the window and saw all these lads throwing bricks and smashing up the cars," said the 32-year-old who lives close to the scene of today's chaos. "I came running out and saw about ten to 12 lads at the bottom of the road breaking up walls. They looked drunk out of their heads.

"By the time I ran out they had trashed the whole street. I shouted at them and they started throwing bricks at me and another neighbour. I've never seen anything like it. It was incredible. It was like a riot with them throwing bricks and stones."

Police mobilised the force's helicopter after a call reporting vandalism to vehicles in the Chevallier Street/Bramford Road area. Two men, aged 25 and 26, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

A furious victim of the vandalism spree told how his job was at risk as the damage to his vehicle had left him unable to get to work in Colchester.

"I came out at 8.10am to go off to work and saw the door had badly been smashed in and the passenger window was smashed," said David Masters, 31, who lives in Chevallier Street but had parked his Peugeot 405 overnight. "I'm on trial for a new job and this is going to mess everything up."

Mr Masters estimated that the vandals had inflicted around £500 worth of damage to his car.

Scott Bradbrook of Chevallier Street said his car had also fallen victim to the carnage.

"They've kicked the door in. I'm feeling vexed. I know it's not worth a lot but I've got to pay," the 28-year-old said.

"We don't normally have trouble. We get the odd car broken into but nothing like this."