CAR owners will have to pay out up to £8,000 after the tyres of 40 vehicles were slashed.

Residents in Bostall Lane and McLeod Road, Abbey Wood, got up on March 3 to discover their car tyres punctured.

Most vehicles had the two tyres closest to the pavement punctured, while some motors had all four tyres slashed.

According to vehicle repair company Kwik-Fit, one new standard-sized tyre can cost anything between £45 and £100.

This means it could collectively cost the affected car owners anything between £3,600 and £8,000 to replace their tyres.

Resident Frank Miniter, of Bostall Road, has branded the vandalism a "malicious attack on hard-working people".

The former Greenwich University security guard had two tyres slashed on his red Rover 620 and says insurers will not foot the bill for damaged tyres.

He said: "I can see no reason why these mindless thugs would do this. It appears it has been done for their own enjoyment.

"But their bit of fun has cost hard-working residents money they don't have for new tyres.

"Only last month I had new tyres fitted when my car had its MOT. Now I need to get some more."

Mr Minter, 57, says this is not the first time residents have had problems with cars being vandalised.

In January he had the back window of his car smashed and a few months before he found three deep scratches along its side.

He is now calling on police to get out of their cars and patrol the streets and says the council should consider fitting CCTV in the area.

A spokesman for Greenwich Council said: "CCTV is not the only solution to tackling low-level crime and disorder.

"The Abbey Wood area has a Safer Neighbourhood Team working with the community.

"We look at any request for CCTV on its own merits and any decision on where to site cameras would depend on funding availability and on the overall levels of crime and disorder at any particular site."