CAMPAIGNERS have strengthened their case for CCTV to be fitted on Navigation Road after a resident found a stranger asleep in their car.

Residents are already collecting petition signatures for the council to install cameras on the street after suffering from years of vandalism, mainly to cars.

But they are set to intensify their campaign after this latest incident, during which a man was found asleep in one of the vehicles, which was also sporting a smashed wing mirror.

Lee Siddall, campaign leader and founder of the Winnington and Castle Residents Voice group, said: “My wife works at the artisan market and she came down one morning to get everything ready and put things into the car, but when she looked, there was a man fast asleep in the driver’s side.

“She slammed the boot to wake him up and asked him what he was doing in her car, but he was really blasé about it as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“He said that he was going now and that he just wanted somewhere to sleep for the night on his way back from town.

“We don’t know how he got in as we keep the car locked. It was just unbelievable, and he was even doing his hair in the mirror.

Northwich Guardian:

“The car also had a smashed wing mirror, but he said that wasn’t him.

“He said that someone else had done that in the middle of the night and it had woken him up.

“My wife came back inside to tell me and as soon as I came out to see what was happening, he had gone.”

Once they have collected enough signatures from residents and businesses, Lee and other residents will be delivering the petition to their local councillor in the hope that cameras will be fitted and the vandalism will end.

“There really is a huge rate of vandalism of cars along the street,” Lee added.

“I moved her 12 years ago and we get together quite often with our neighbours, who are lovely.

“It’s a real shame that we have to put up with vandalism like this.”