A long-serving councillor in Swansea has had paint thrown over her and her husband's cars. Paulette Smith, of Heol-y-Ffin, Clydach, opened her curtains on Tuesday morning and thought, initially, it might have snowed overnight.
But the flash of white was in fact paint which had been chucked on her Fiat Panda, which was parked on the road, and her husband Roger's Audi A4 estate and 20-year-old MG, which were on the drive. South Wales Police is investigating.
"I nearly had a fit," said Mrs Smith. "I shouted to Roger, 'There's paint all over the cars.'" It emerged that a man living nearby had knocked on the Smiths' door on Monday night to tell them that their cars had been vandalised. Mr Smith answered and spoke to the man, but didn't want to worry his wife, who was asleep. The couple phoned the police on Tuesday morning. You can get more Clydach news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Mrs Smith said nothing like this had happened before, and she hit out at the person or people responsible. "I cannot for the life of me understand the motivation to do this," she said. "Whoever has done this is an exceptionally sad person, and a vindictive person."
Mrs Smith said scenes of crime officers had visited and that police patrols had been stepped up in the area. From talking to people locally, Mrs Smith said she gathered that three people wearing masks were seen driving off in a blue car parked in Pontardawe Road - a few yards from Heol-y-Ffin - on Monday night. You can read more stories about Clydach here.
The couple have contacted their insurance company. It looks like the paint cannot be washed off and may have caused irreparable damage.
The incident has shaken Mr and Mrs Smith, who have both represented Clydach for Labour on Swansea Council - Mr Smith from 1999 to 2012, and Mrs Smith from 2008 to 2022. She is standing down at the local elections on May 5. She said she felt that politics - often stirred up by comments on social media - had "never been as nasty as it is now". She added: "I'm too old for this." But Mrs Smith and her husband wished to thank people in the community for their support following Monday night's vandalism.
A police spokeswoman said: "South Wales Police is investigating reports of white paint being poured on three cars on Heol-Y-Ffin, Clydach, at around 9.30pm on Monday, April 18. Enquiries are continuing." If you can help, contact South Wales Police, quoting reference number 2200128396.
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