"I just don't understand it" - disappointment as Waterlooville's Mini Town Role Play & Café vandalised 7 months after opening

By Joe Williams

Digital Reporter

Published 9th May 2025, 10:29 BST

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The co-owner of a Waterlooville children’s play café has spoken of his frustration after vandals targeted the premises.

Liam Howes, who co-owns Mini Town Role Play & Cafe in Wellington Way, was told of the damage at the end of the day on Wednesday, May 7. The store has graphics on the windows which appear to have been cut with something sharp in a number of areas.

The damage is such that the graphics will need to be fully replaced, only seven months after they were installed. Liam said: “They have defaced all the window graphics which are only seven months old. They have run a knife or something sharp through it. It’s ruined the whole thing so it will need to be replaced. I don’t get it.”

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A sharp object was used to cut the window graphics of a children's play café in Waterlooville. Mini Town has only been open for just under seven months.A sharp object was used to cut the window graphics of a children's play café in Waterlooville. Mini Town has only been open for just under seven months.
A sharp object was used to cut the window graphics of a children's play café in Waterlooville. Mini Town has only been open for just under seven months. | Liam Howes

Liam has reported the incident to the police and the council while also trawling through CCTV footage to see if it has picked up who did it.

He said: “We are looking through CCTV to find the culprits but we are not hopeful as we don’t know what time it happened. We didn't notice it the day before so it must have been in the early hours (May 7) or the evening before (May 6). It’s really frustrating.

“We have been open seven months and we have already been the target of vandalism, I just don’t understand it.”

The damage is in multiple places of the window graphic.The damage is in multiple places of the window graphic.
The damage is in multiple places of the window graphic. | Liam Howes

With the business still in its infancy, it is a cost that Liam could do without. He said: “With the rising cost of everything, this is going to be another financial hit and a cost we don't really want to have pay out after not being open very long. It’s not great timing and just really unnecessary.

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“We have been doing really well, we have built a nice customer base now and we see a lot of the same people every week. Everyone loves it and people are disappointed and angry that this has happened and that we were targeted for some unknown reason.”

A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said: “We received a report of criminal damage at the Mini Town Play Café on Wellington Way in Waterlooville. Officers will be carrying out enquiries to establish the circumstances. (Crime ref: 44250200706)”

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Related topics:WaterloovillePolice

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