A KNIFEMAN travelling on a child's scooter slashed tyres in an early hours spate of vandalism.

CCTV shows the man gliding towards a car in Redhill in Bournemouth, holding a large, kitchen-type knife.

He then stabs a rear tyre before getting back on the small scooter and heading off along the road.

Victim Tracey Lavell has released the images in the hope that someone will recognise the offender and alert police.

She said: "I got in my car and, as I went to drive off, I realised something was wrong.

"I thought it was just a puncture and reversed back into the drive but, when my husband looked at it, he realised it had been slashed."

Tracey said she then checked her CCTV cameras and found the images of the man slashing the tyre just before 4am on Wednesday November 29.

The video shows the time as 4.53am but the actual time was 3.53am because Tracey hadn't changed the time when the clocks went back.

She told the Daily Echo: "I couldn't believe it when I looked at the CCTV. It is clearly a grown man on a child's scooter.

"The next day I found out that my neighbour's car had also been damaged in the same way and I have since discovered that cars were damaged in other roads in the area."

She added: "It seems to be a big knife so carrying that around is illegal for a start. It cost me around £70 to get the tyre fixed and it also disrupted my work because I need my car.

"My neighbour was also unable to get to work on time. I hope someone recognises this man."

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "Recently there was criminal damage caused to two vehicles parked in Redhill Avenue where offenders have slashed a tyre on each of the cars. If you have any information please call Dorset Police on 101 quoting number 55170186047."