A SHOP manager last night spoke of his anger after his window was smashed by vandals, causing about £3,000 worth of damage.

The window of the Weigh and Save store, in Bondgate, Darlington, was broken at about 12.35pm on Sunday, when the town centre was busy with shoppers.

A man was seen near the shop about the time of the incident, and police are appealing for witnesses.

Oliver Nicholson, the store manager, said the bill for the damage had been estimated at £3,000.

"It's disgusting that someone would want to randomly smash a window like that, and in broad daylight," he said. "It will cost about £3,000 to repair, which is a lot for little businesses like ours to afford.

"I would ask anyone who knows anything to contact the police."

Inspector Sue Robinson, of Durham Police, said officers were investigating, and were looking at the town's closed- circuit television systems.

"There would probably have been a lot of people around, even at that time of day the town would have been very busy," she said. "We would appeal for anyone with information to contact us."

Police are trying to trace a man seen in the area at the time. He is described as tall, white, with short dark hair, aged about 25. He was wearing black trousers and shirt.

He was seen walking down Bondgate into the town centre, and was last seen in the Northgate area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Darlington police on 0845 60 60 365.