A DOCTOR’S surgery was targeted by a hammer-wielding “hoodlum”, who smashed its windows in in vandalism spree. 

Joanne Copeland, practice manager at Rose Villa Surgery, was horrified to arrive at work to discover shattered glass covering the floor.

She hasn’t slept since worrying the culprit could return following the attack in the early hours of Wednesday.

While reviewing CCTV, bosses watched in shock as footage showed a hooded male, wearing a face mask, approach the Pitsea surgery around 2am before continuously smashing two windows at the front of the property.

The motive behind the attack remains unclear, but Mrs Copeland says it has only piled additional stress onto staff already facing the pressures of the Covid pandemic.

She said: “It really was awful, as I pulled up at around 7am I saw the windows had been smashed in. I came in and the glass was everywhere in reception, it was such a shock.

“Next door came out and said they actually saw the lad run across the main road. The mental health team who work in the night also saw him running too, they’d heard the loud banging.

“From the looks of things he was only young. He got a hammer out of his pocket and just started hitting the windows. I did worry he may have been testing to see if an alarm would go off, and I didn’t sleep panicking what if he comes back.

“The whole thing is such an inconvenience for us, it means everything we’re doing in the day just gets put back.

“We’re so busy and stressed as it is with everything going on. Covid is enough to tip anyone over the edge.

“It really does shake staff up, I just don’t understand why you would do it.”

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Dr Chudi Ukpaka is now urging members of the public to keep an eye out, urging anyone with information to get in touch.

He added: “It is unacceptable that hoodlums operating in the local area caused damage to NHS property, which potentially affects patient care and places the staff working in the GP practices under undue stress of feeling insecure. 

“Our concern is that more practices may be targeted and some late staff do not feel safe when it’s dark.”

A spokesperson from Essex Police, said: “No arrests have been made and our enquiries continue.

“Anyone with information can also call us on 101 and cite incident 67 of March 10.”