A COUNCILLOR who has been recognised by the Queen for his efforts to champion his community has spoken of his terror after being woken by a vandal smashing in windows of his home.

Darlington Borough Council’s health and housing cabinet member Kevin Nicholson said the vandal had been caught on CCTV running into his front garden of his home in Firth Moor at 1.05am on Monday and threw a stone at his lounge window. The impact shattered large amounts of glass across a sofa where his two-year-old nephew had laid just hours earlier.

He said the crash was so loud it awoke several of his neighbours and within a few minutes of the attack police attended the scene with armed officers to hunt for the perpetrator.

Cllr Nicholson, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in 2014, said: “At the time it happened I didn’t know what to think, I thought someone was trying to get in and harm me. I was quite panicked. My blinds had been smashed and there was glass all down my front room.

“If it had been earlier it could have caused serious injury to my nephew. This is the price you pay for standing up for residents.”

Cllr Nicholson said he believed the incident was an attempt to intimidate him over a crackdown on illegal off-road motorbikes, which many councillors rank as among the biggest menace facing the borough. He said he had recently been threatened over the issue because off-road bikers were being challenged, but he would not be put off by the attack.

Cllr Nicholson said: “This is clearly an escalation of what is a persistent issue for residents. Over the weekend Councillor Jonathan Dulston and I shared some information about the success of Durham Police’s work to series a bike in Firth Moor. That is to be celebrated, but I got a lot of abuse on social media because of that.”

The Independent Eastbourne ward councillor said recent weeks had seen police demonstrate they would act upon every bit of information received and he had been impressed by how police have responded to the issue.

However, he said the force needed to change its response to off-road bike incidents from “priority” to “immediate” as the vehicles were often ridden in parks with children nearby.

Cllr Nicholson said the force also needed to offer reassurances that those offering information would be protected. He said: “I would appeal to Durham Police to take the matter of off-road bikes very seriously. The debate has changed to what it was years ago and that’s very worrying for the community if your councillor is being targeted because he’s speaking up on your behalf.

“I don’t want this to deter people from reporting off-road bike incidents. We are making progress. I get hundreds of emails and phone calls on this issue and I am determined to see it reduced.”

The authority’s leader Councillor Heather Scott said it was appalling and rare for councillors to be targeted with abuse for carrying out what they are elected to do, but in her four decades serving on the authority could not recall an attack on a member’s property.

She said: “It could have been extremely serious and I do hope the perpetrators are found. It could put people off standing to be a councillor in the future if they think they’re going to be attacked like this.