A BARBER has been landed with a bill for thousands of pounds after vandals broke in and wrecked part of his shop.

Andy Willis, 32, had only finished a major refurbishment of Andy’s Barbershop in Sheep Street, Bicester, in December.

He said he was sickened when he arrived at work on Tuesday to find someone had forced a back window and vandalised plaster, paintings and decorations.

He said: “They had smashed it up and made a right mess; it looked disgusting.”

He said the refurbishment in December had cost about £6,000 and included installing new chairs and a plasma TV screen.

As well as the damage, a barber’s kit bag containing four pairs of specialist cutting scissors – each worth up to £500 – and other hairdressing tools were taken, along with about £20 from the till.

The shop had been repainted the previous weekend, as it had been nominated for a best customer service award in the Best of Bicester Customer Service awards.

Mr Willis said: “We should have been happy after being nominated for an award.

“Instead we came in and found this.”

The shop was able to open despite the mess, with barbers sharing chairs and working in areas unaffected by the damage.

Mr Willis added: “The staff have been good as gold.”

He said while insurance would cover the damage, it would not make up for the shock and the inconvenience.

Thames Valley Police spokesman Chris Kearney said officers were going through CCTV footage of Sheep Street to identify suspicious activity.

Anyone with information should call Pcso Kate Ford on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.