A vandal believed to be armed with a catapult pelted a company's offices with stones.

It is the second attack at Boustead International Heaters in Southwick Square, Southwick, in two weeks.

Staff arriving for work at the three-storey building found their offices covered in glass that had been scattered at high force across the floors.

The vandal damaged eight windows, causing damage costing hundreds of pounds.

Some of the windows were smashed while others were cracked or pitted by what appeared to be stones.

Staff said the attack came days after a kerbstone was thrown through one of the building's windows.

Two other windows were broken in the building, where 33 people work, in similar attacks last month.

Company secretary Christine Hooper said: "Most of this has happened overnight but we are concerned because some staff do work late and the glass has come right into the rooms.

"This shows the stones were fired at high velocity. It's extremely dangerous."

Beryl Ferrers-Guy, secretary of the Adur and District Chamber of Commerce, which is working on a regeneration project for Southwick Square, said: "This is not the first time this has happened.

"I'm afraid it's back to the old story that there aren't any police around. We used to have two or three beat officers and the crime figures dropped.

"We don't seem to see any constables anymore. This has got to stop.

"I chaired the police consultation group for Adur and used to tell people to have faith and report crime and the police would come.

"But now I'm losing faith. If this continues, it's going to come to the point when insurance companies will say 'no can do'."

Adur district councillor Betty Hayward, who represents the ward that includes Southwick Square, was unaware of the vandalism but said she would be discussing it with her council colleagues.

Monday November 10, 2003