KENT Police say a stone thrown from a bridge by thoughtless vandals could have had disastrous consequences for a woman driver and her disabled son.

The stone smashed into the windscreen as Lynda Griffiths was at the wheel of a blue Fiat Dobio people carrier on the A289 Wainscott Bypass near Rochester.

At the time she was taking her 23-year-old son Liam, who has cerebral palsy, from their home in Aylesford, near Maidstone, to a cerebral palsy centre in Cliffe Woods, near Rochester.

They both esaped injury but speaking after the incident, she said: "I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I had been knocked out.

"Liam loves going to the centre to see his friends and now he is worried about driving along that road. He has also had nightmares as a result of the incident.

"The people who did this have not thought about the lasting effects of their actions."

The incident occurred between 9.15am and 9.35am on Thursday. Cost of the damage to the vehicle is estimated to be about £100.

Police Insp Robin Wharfe said: "This kind of thoughtless behaviour puts lives in danger. Thankfully, in this instance, no one was hurt by these mindless actions, but I cannot stress enough the risk these vandals are putting people in.

"I want the people responsible for this to think carefully about the consequences of their actions and how would they feel if they seriously hurt or even killed someone.

"If they are too selfish to be concerned for the safety of others, I would then ask them to consider the impact that being arrested, charged and possibly imprisoned would have on their lives.

"In support of the countywide Safer Summer campaign, our officers have been taking to the beat to ensure that people are behaving responsibly over the summer holidays.

"We will continue to work on this initiative over the coming weeks and will not tolerate those who behave unacceptably. The message is simple: enjoy yourself but stay out of trouble. Getting a criminal record for a stupid action now may affect your future."

Anyone who witnessed the incident on the bridge, or has any information that may help police, are being urged to contact officers at Medway police station on 01634 792533 or Kent CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111.