106 Vehicles Damaged as Serial Slasher Stalks Stoke-on-Trent

Residents in the former pottery town of Stoke-on-Trent, home to the UK’s premier tyre business magazine Tyres & Accessories, are being advised to be alert, as reports show that over 100 vehicles’ tyres have been slashed in the past seven weeks. Local newspaper The Sentinel reports that the Serial Slasher’s reign of (rubber) terror has so far been limited to Longton, where 73 cars have been damaged, and Stoke, in which 33 have been affected. Flummoxed police officers are appealing for help in catching the criminal, who is said to be using “either a knife or a sharp screwdriver” to slash or puncture tyres across the city.

Longton police inspector, Elliott Sharrard-Williams told The Sentinel: “Tyre slashings represent a considerable cost to the victim. They are mostly being carried out on cars parked in the roadway rather than in driveways, with a couple of tyres damaged in each car. There is no discernible pattern to identify the implement being used. Some are punctured while others are slashed. Periodically we have cases of isolated tyre slashing as pranks or when people are drunk, but not to this degree.”