Gypsies allegedly smash police helicopter

WOKING, England, May 14 (UPI) -- A group of English Gypsies allegedly smashed a police helicopter that had been used for surveillance of their encampment, putting it out of action temporarily.

The vandalism occurred Wednesday around 10 p.m. at the Surrey Police helipad at Fairoaks Airport near Woking, The Daily Mail reported. Investigators say that the Gypsies or "travelers" threatened employees in the operations room and then broke windows on the helicopter with axes, inflicting damage that will cost thousands of pounds to repair.

The helicopter, the only one belonging to the Surrey Police, is worth about 5 million pounds ($7.5 million).

Police had been conducting aerial surveillance of the encampment, investigating allegations that the group was involved in fencing stolen property. A police source told the Mail that a raid was imminent.

"The Gypsies were furious because they kept getting buzzed by the helicopter," the source said. "But no one expected this level of violence."

English gypsies are Roma or Romani who came from India by way of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.