A LANDLORD has been left counting the cost after his flat was vandalised in a “mindless attack”.
Stanley Dix said the wrecking spree saw a newly-installed central heating system ripped out, a toilet trashed and a television hurled from a third-floor window.
Furniture was also smashed up, doors pulled off their hinges and holes punched in walls and ceilings at the property in Newcastle Road, Sunderland.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the scale of the damage,” he said.
“I’ve been a landlord since 1979, but I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
“I only had the heating installed a couple of weeks before the attack. The place is a mess.”
Mr Dix, who is set to undergo a hip replacement operation in the coming weeks, said because the damage is classed as “criminal” his insurance policy will not cover the cost of repairs.
“I don’t know how I’m going to manage,” said the 71-year-old.
“I’ve had estimates for £1,500 for the repairs, which I’m going to have to cover myself.
“But it’s not just that, it’s the fact that I’ve only just paid to have improvements carried out there.
“Because of my hip problem, I can’t even make it up and down the stairs to tidy the place up.
“Once I’ve undergone the operation, I won’t be able to do anything for two to three months.”
The grandad believes a visitor to the flat carried out the attack.
“The flat is going to be left empty now for I don’t know how long,” he said.
“It’s not just the fact that I will lose rent and will have to pay for the repairs, but someone could be living there.
“It was a nice place to live before this mindless attack.”
A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police confirmed officers were called to the property and investigations were ongoing.
Twitter: @SunderlandEcho
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