Mystery catapulters are believed to be behind a spate of attacks on properties and buses in a rural village.

Jacquie Frances from West Street in Hunton, near Maidstone, spoke of her shock after vandals broke the glass of her kitchen window.

She told KentOnline: “I had been standing there at the sink only minutes before.

“I had walked away when I heard a loud crack. At first, I thought something had fallen over, then I discovered the shattered glass.”

She thought at first it had been a firearm because of the round bullet-like hole, but later found a metal ball bearing on the floor.

The incident happened on Wednesday, October 4, at around 5.45pm.

She said: “I was shaken and wondered why I had been targeted. But I later discovered that several other properties in the neighbourhood had their windows smashed too.

Just a few days later, on the Saturday, a Nu-Venture No 25 bus travelling between Hunton and Yalding had its rear window taken out by a catapult.

Norman Kemp, who owns the bus company, said: “Obviously targetting a bus is a very dangerous thing to do.

“Fortunately on this occasion, there were no passengers on board, but the damage meant that we had to take that vehicle out of service while we had the window repaired – which because the glazing was for a bus, required a specialist order.

“The glass itself cost several hundred pounds, but with fitting and delivery, the bill came to around £1,000.

“It also meant our passengers suffered because we had to run a reduced service until the bus was back in action.”

Both incidents have been reported to the police.

Mr Kemp said: “We do have CCTV on our buses that records both inside and outside, but on this occasion it didn’t pick up the culprits.”

And now Mrs Frances is urgently calling for action alongside a police appeal.

She added: “It’s very difficult for the police if there are no witnesses and no evidence.

“But something really needs to be done! Somebody could be seriously injured.

“Until now, I have always felt safe in this area, but not anymore. We really need our community police back, and better policing for our area.”

Inspector Steve Kent, of the Maidstone Community Safety Unit, said: “We have been making inquiries into this incident in West Street along with a second report of damage to the window of a bus on Hunton Hill.”

There have been no arrests at this stage.

Drivers with dashcam and residents with private CCTV are asked to check for relevant footage.

Anyone with information should call police on 01622 604100, quoting crime reference 46/179009/23.

You can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form on their website.