Residents of a coastal town have been waking up to find their car windows smashed.

One such motorist to have suffered the fate is Stephen Rouse, of Church Lane in Gorleston, who said: "It's an absolute nightmare as I couldn't go to work in the morning."

The 45-year-old was out with his family on Thursday night (August 5) to see the fireworks on the Great Yarmouth seafront but when the show was cancelled due to rain they returned home, parking up at 10pm.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A smashed car window on Church Lane in Gorleston.A smashed car window on Church Lane in Gorleston. (Image: Stephen Rouse)

"There was no space outside the house so I had to park further away, which is typical, because I have CCTV outside mine," said Mr Rouse.

By 8am the next day, the car's driver window had been smashed.

"When I saw it was shattered, I thought, 'Oh no'. And I was late for work in the morning. It's just the hassle, phoning around, getting a good quote, and then the financial loss of it as well."

Repairing the window cost £126.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Stephen Rouse, 45, from Gorleston, said people who vandalise cars do not realise the impact they have on others.Stephen Rouse, 45, from Gorleston, said people who vandalise cars do not realise the impact they have on others. (Image: Stephen Rouse)

"The people who do this sort of stuff don't realise the impact they have," Mr Rouse said.

He posted a photo of the damage on a local Facebook page, Gorleston-on-Sea Life, prompting a cascade of comments from people reporting similar incidents around the town.

Ellen Conway, who lives on Drudge Road, said that her car's window was broken some time on Wednesday night (August 4).

"Aside from the cost of getting it repaired, it has meant I have had to find another way of getting to work and this has made me nervous about parking my car at night," she said.

"We're now looking at getting cameras fitted outside the house but this will not really deter mindless vandalism."

The incident made her "extremely angry and upset".

"I was on my way to work and it totally ruined my day and I couldn't concentrate on my job as it was playing on my mind all day."

Ms Conway reported the incident to the police but "unfortunately there was nothing they could do as there was no cctv".

The car is still in the garage awaiting repair which means her husband now has to take er to work so the damage has also disrupted his routine, she said.