Open houses for vandals

– Sarah Schwager
A HAMPTON Park church under construction was one of a number of sites in the area ransacked and vandalised last week.
Holy Trinity Anglican Church was broken into some time on the weekend.
The church, on the corner of Somerville Road and The Fairway, is undergoing renovations and extensions.
The raiders gained entry to the building and builders tools to cause damage to the walls and plasterwork.
They then threw adhesive and plaster coating over the walls, windows and floors.
The church’s vicar Ian Savage said the damage was more annoying than serious.
“Volunteers discovered the damage on Sunday and they spent all Sunday cleaning up rather than doing other things,” Reverend Savage said. “It was a bit distressing and annoying but, fortunately, it was not a total disaster so we are very grateful.”
Rev Savage said he and a group had gone to Sorrento over the weekend to talk about the development as the original church hall had been conveyed from the town to Hampton Park by truck in 1985.
Rev Savage said despite the vandalism the church was still on track to open at 3pm on Sunday, 26 November and invited locals to attend.
Two-storey units under construction on Patterson Drive, Lynbrook, were also broken into last week.
Police said the offenders broke into them between 4pm on 24 August and 9am on 25 August then attempted to set fire to a house on the ground floor.
Also last week a house under construction on Forest Oak Court, Cranbourne, was broken into.
Police said the property was to be handed over to the owners in a couple of days.
The thieves unclipped and stole all the blinds from the house, including 10 sets of timber blinds and three sets of white blinds.
Rev Savage said, unfortunately, properties under construction were easy targets.
“It tends to be a bit of an open invitation,” he said.
Anyone with information about any of the incidents is urged to contact Cranbourne CIU on 5991 0600 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.