Vandals have caused thousands of pounds of damage to a parade of shops on Oxford's Wood Farm estate.

Shop owners say that about seven local youths, aged from 25 to as young as 14, terrorise the neighbourhood by smashing shop windows late at night.

The youths have been known to approach customers leaving the local shops and demand cash. Many have been barred for shoplifting at the Drinks Cabin off-licence and other businesses.

Some managers of the eight shops are now considering installing expensive shutters to combat the attacks, but they say they are helpless to stop the constant shoplifting.

In the latest attack, five windows were smashed at the Co-op supermarket and one at Fruit & Blooms shop in Atkyns Road, at about 10pm on Tuesday. Fruit & Blooms manager Maureen Chant said the latest attack would cost her more than £1,000 to repair.

She said: "Security cameras on the parade would probably deter them from doing it. This is the first time we've been hit, but it's just a prank to these kids."

Co-op manager Susan Skeet said: "It has happened before.

"We have a shoplifting problem. We have had to put in gates where people come in, but that's made it harder for mothers with buggies. We considered closing earlier like the branch in Barton, but you would lose customers who need to shop later in the day. "The council is currently replacing benches that don't need replacing on the parade -- they could have spent that money better. These just make things worse -- they encourage the youths to hang around here. It's becoming more frequent and it will just come out of our budget."

Chris Lewis, of the Drinks Cabin off-licence, said beers and wine bottles regularly went missing from his shelves and he has already installed shutters to prevent vandalism.

No-one from Thames Valley Police was available for comment.