A REWARD is being offered for information on a “hate campaign” of vandalism being waged on a York businessman.

The Press reported yesterday how Paul Smith, who owns Quartz Travel, Heworth, has been subjected to a catalogue of damage including windows smashed, slashed tyres and paint-stripper hurled at doors.

Mr Smith has condemned the “cowardly” vandals who attacked his company’s fleet of vehicles and its Heworth base.

Now, a valued customer has offered a £1,000 reward for any information that might lead to the culprits being arrested.

A spate of incidents which has hit the travel firm's operation and finances over the last few months, the latest happening earlier this week, is now being probed by police, who are studying the firm’s own CCTV footage as they aim to track down the vandals.

Mr Smith, who has run the business for five years, said the last straw came when paint-stripper was thrown over two of his company’s shuttle buses and a luxury Jaguar XJS car used to chauffeur customers, as well as the front door of its Heworth Road premises.

He said the vandalism started in February, when one of the firm's Jaguars was scratched, and since then a stone has been thrown at his house, a window was broken on Quartz’s 35-seater coach, and the tyres of another vehicle were slashed at the driver’s home.

He said: “We are very grateful that this reward has been lodged and we can only hope that it helps the police to track whoever did this. We have had an overwhelming response from the public in York and Heworth with offers of help and we are very grateful.

“We are a part of the Heworth community and have always done what we can for charity, so we and our customers are so shocked and disappointed about this treatment. I definitely feel this is a campaign of hatred against us.”

The paint-stripper incident happened at about 9.45pm on Monday, and anybody who saw it or has any information should phone the York Safer Neighbourhoods team on 0845 6060247.