A CRIME victim wrote to a court to make sure a man who went on a drunken orgy of destruction knew the full impact of his actions.

Magistrates heard Mark Andrew Hartley smashed a shop window in Langho and then smashed windscreens and windows of 20 parked cars with a metal bar.

The 20-year-old was upset over splitting with his girlfriend.

But the court heard details of the impact his "thoughtless" actions had on one particular victim.

John Wood, prosecuting, said the woman had written in specifically requesting that Hartley should be made aware of the consequences of his actions.

She said the morning after Hartley had rampaged around Rogersfield, where he lived, her husband got up for work but was late because they had to clear up the broken glass before he could get the second car out of the garage.

He was late for work and because she didn't have a car, the woman was unable to go to her disabled parents' home and do their shopping and cleaning as she usually did on a Saturday.

Their son was home from university for the weekend and the car had been insured so he could visit friends and family but he hadn't been able to.

"I hope Andrew Hartley realises honest hard-working people ended up paying in more ways than just money because of what he did that night," she added.

Hartley, of Littlemoor Road, Clitheroe, pleaded guilty to damaging a window at the Spar shop and a rear windscreen of a Nissan Micra and asked for 19 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

He was ordered to do 40 hours' unpaid work and pay £3,532 compensation.

Mr Wood said the window of the Spar shop was broken at about midnight on April 21 and the police then received numerous calls about damage to cars. Hartley was found hiding under a car and a metal bar was recovered from nearby.

Richard Prew, defending, said Hartley's parents' marriage had ended in acrimonious divorce and his father moved to Saudi Arabia.

"On the night of this incident his relationship with his girlfriend had come to an end and he had a great deal to drink," said Mr Prew.

"The letter written by one victim could probably have been written by the other 19," he added.