FED-UP residents want to form a patrol group to combat a spate of vehicle crimes.

Following a string of vandalism and thefts of vehicles in Eastwood, campaigners have taken to social media to call for a group of volunteers to go out on patrol to deter criminals from the streets.

Dad-of-three Oliverlee Purcel mooted the idea on Facebook page.

Speaking to the Echo, he said: “I thought of this because there has been a lot of crime around Eastwood lately, even after this post was put up there was another van broken into.

“It’s getting ridiculous, having the Facebook page isn’t really doing anything but alerting people after the crime has been committed.

“If these criminals get wind of people going around and basically ‘looking after’ Eastwood during the night then the crime rate could go down, but we’re not going to know until we at least try.

“It gives families that extra peace of mind that there are people out at night keeping an eye on the streets.”

Martin Terry, cabinet member for community safety at Southend Council, said: “I have received reports from more than one source that there has been a spate of vehicle crime across areas of Southend, including crimes such as van theft and damage.

“It appears to be mostly happening across Leigh and Eastwood; it looks like there may be a gang or group who are going around and committing these crimes.

“As much as I always encourage people to protect their own property, I don’t support any kind of vigilante group.

“I can assure you Essex Police are aware and are dealing with it, and will be working to find out which areas are most being targeted. We are investing more into the community safety team from this budget.

“I realise incidents like this can be difficult to detect, because they’re literally over in a matter of moments.

“Moving forward, I ask anyone who has been affected themselves or witnessed anything suspicious to report it to Essex Police.”

Essex Police has encouraged anyone interested in keeping their community safe to join groups such as Neighbourhood Watch, Active Citizens or sign up to be a Special Constable.