A CAR wash manager is offering a £500 reward to anybody who can help find the person who caused £2,000 of damage to his Blackburn business.

Awat Peerot, who runs Express Hand Car Wash, in King Street, said six advertising signs had been vandalised, causing him to lose trade as people did not know the car wash was there.

The car wash had only recently opened and Mr Peerot said it had been very successful until this setback.

He said: “I am really upset - nobody knows it is a car wash now so we are not getting as many cars in. People think we have closed down and we are losing money.”

Mr Peerot said that when the signs were displayed, he would carry out between 20 and 30 mini valets on an average day.

But since they had to be taken down, the team only washes around four or five cars each day.

He said: “It is only regulars now, we get no passing trade.

“When we opened we did very well - we do a proper job and people are happy.”

Margo Grimshaw, who is Mr Peerot’s landlady, said it was a shame the signs had been damaged as the business had been doing so well.

She said: “Just because they are doing well and they are the new boys on the block does not mean they are going to throw the sponge in.

“I feel sorry for them because it is hard work starting a business without all of this and they are really good people.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “We were made aware of an incident at those premises.

“We have advised Mr Peerot to call us if he has any further problems.”