By Matt Wilkinson

THREE drivers narrowly escaped serious injury after youths threw bricks and stones at passing cars from a Warminster bridge.

Police labelled the attacks on the A36 bypass late on Saturday night as reckless and claim the three drivers were lucky to avoid more tragic consequences.

The most serious attack was shortly after 10pm on January 10 when a house brick hurled from the Bradley Road bridge smashed a car window and damaged the driver's door.

The 67-year-old woman driver from Chapman-

slade was lucky to escape unharmed but police said she was shaken.

Two further attacks on drivers from Monkton Deverill and Southampton between 10pm and 10.15pm caused minor damage to their vehicles.

Warminster Police are hunting for information fearing the next passers-by may not be so lucky.

Sgt Alison Allin of Warminster police, said: "This was a potentially serious incident and the three drivers are very fortunate to avoid major injury.

"The road which the vehicles were travelling down is a fast stretch of highway and at that speed even a very small stone thrown from the bridge will have a massive impact. It's incredible that no one was injured or even killed.

"We cannot stress enough how serious this type of action is and we are asking the public to come forward with any information."

The attacks on the Warminster bypass follow a spate of similar incidents around the country last year resulting in the death of a 53-year-old lorry driver on the M3 from a brick thrown through the windscreen.

Last March Surrey police reported a record 26 incidents of youths throwing stones and bricks from bridges at passing cars on motorways and two nine-year-old girls were arrested after being caught on camera.

Chris March, Warmin-

ster town and district councillor, said: "This kind of thing isn't confined to Warminster but I am absolutely flabbergasted with what has happened.

"This is just reckless behaviour and these sort of people are endangering other peoples lives by indulging in these activities."