Shop owners are desperate for someone to come forward with information after a spate of vandalism saw three windows smashed.

Three businesses along Mercery Lane, Canterbury were targeted - Roly’s Fudge Pantry, Canterbury Tails and coffee chain Pret a Manger.

Pip Harris, owner of Canterbury Tails Café, posted a note in her now broken window thanking the vandal for the generous Christmas gift of “additional stress, work, worry, and financial burden”.

The message posted in the yet to reopen café read: “Thank you so much to the person who decided to smash our window!

“You've really helped an already struggling independent start-up.

“We can't think of anything better for Christmas than additional stress, work, worry, and financial burden, especially in these already very tough times, with multiple rescue animals to care for. It's exactly what was on our wishlist.

“We don't know what led to this destructive act, but rest assured we will be searching CCTV footage to try and find the generous gifter.”

Ms Harris signed off her note asking for anyone with information about the perpetrator to please get in contact with her.

The shop owners believe the windows were smashed last Monday night.

Directly opposite, confectioners Roly’s Fudge Pantry are dealing with a broken pane in their front door, which due to its low position they suspect was violently kicked.

While the damage done to their shop will have a significantly smaller repair bill compared to Canterbury Tails, the owners - Mary, Steve and Nina Hamblen - were still upset to find they had been vandalised.

Steve Hamblen said: “We saw the glass had been broken when we came in the next morning and we were just really surprised.

“It’s never happened to us before and we’ve been here three years now.”

The incidents have been reported to the police and the shopkeepers are hopeful that a suspect will be identified.