ANGRY residents of Red Lion Lane, Farnham, have said it will cost thousands of pounds to repair damage caused to parked cars during an act of "mindless" vandalism at the weekend.

Parked cars were keyed by vandals on Saturday nightin an attack described as pointless by those affected by the damage.

Residents claim that vandalism to cars is an ongoing problem, with vehicles being targeted in the past by those using the road as a thoroughfare after a night out.

Ian Sinfield said that he only recently moved to the lane but is disgusted with the level of damage caused to both his and his partner's vehicles.

"It's so sad and such a complete waste of time and money," he fumed. "It turned out to be a very expensive evening for my partner and I and also our neighbours. The bill for re-spraying all these vehicles will run into the thousands and I just wonder what the perpetrators derived from this act."

He went on to say that he suspects late-night revellers, cutting through the lane on their way home, are to blame for Saturday's vandalism and questions why a police CCTV camera was removed.

"There used to be a CCTV camera, installed after a series of similar incidents two years ago, but the police have taken it down now. I'm not sure why they took it away when it looks like it's needed here."

Simon Trickett, another resident of the lane who was affected by the previous spate of vandalism, called for a permanent CCTV camera to be put in place.

"I remember that they caught the guy who did it before because of the CCTV camera. The CCTV camera was a great deterrent and has been proven to work, we need it there permanently."

South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt, also a resident of the lane, said that tackling the problem was a struggle.

"It is outrageous that this kind of anti-social behaviour happens in a town like Farnham," he said. "The police have tried hard to do what they can to deter vandals in Red Lion Lane, but sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. I know how angry and frustrating it is for my Red Lion Lane neighbours and will be working with them and the police to try to put a stop to this."

Surrey Police have said that they will be looking into the cases of vandalism reported over the weekend to make sure that the long-running issue is stopped.

Residents have also been assured that the CCTV camera will be put back in the lane if problems continue.

Pc Chris Skillicorn-Aston, Farnham neighbourhood specialist officer, said it was a "shame" that the vandalism came so soon after a positive panel meeting with residents.

"I have been made aware of the vandalism which took place in Red Lion Lane over the weekend and I will certainly be looking into it. It is such a shame as we held a panel meeting in the area just two days before at which residents were really positive about everything we had done to reduce crime and other incidents in the area.

"Panel meetings are held in Red Lion Lane every two months and there is an extremely active Neighbourhood Watch covering the area. This has already been a long-running issue with local residents and I am determined not to let history repeat itself."

Pc Skillicorn-Aston added that the CCTV camera that was erected following the previous incidents of late-night damage was only a temporary measure and has now been redeployed in a different location.

"If problems continue, we will obviously look at putting the camera back up."