Six photographers' cars parked near home of Manchester United footballer have been vandalised by group of masked assailants

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Six cars belonging to photographers that were parked near the home of Ryan Giggs have been vandalised by a group of masked assailants.

Police were called to the Manchester United midfielder's house in Salford on Tuesday after vandals jumped out of a Ford Transit van and attacked the vehicles.

No photographers are thought to have been injured in the attack. Their cars are believed to have been targeted because of the media attention surrounding Giggs.

Greater Manchester police issued a statement saying they were called to Giggs' house shortly after 3.20pm "following reports a number of cars had been damaged".

"Officers... discovered at least six cars had been vandalised after offenders arrived in a Ford Transit van and attacked the vehicles."

The former Wales captain was named in the House of Commons on Monday as the footballer alleged to have had an extra-marital affair with the model Imogen Thomas.

Greater Manchester police said inquiries into the incident are ongoing.

The Manchester-based Cavendish News Agency, which had journalists outside the house at the time of the attack, also confirmed that the incident had happened.

Journalists are understood to have gathered outside Giggs' house on Monday after his name was first publicly linked to the gagging order.

The Press Complaints Commission issued desist notices on Monday evening and again early on Tuesday asking for journalists not to gather outside Giggs' home, after being contacted by lawyers acting for the footballer's family.

Baroness Buscombe, the chair of the PCC, told BBC2's Newsnight on Monday: "We've had a desist notice going out this evening. I can't give you the details of that. The press will not publish what we've asked them to refrain from in tomorrow's press."

The footballer's barrister, Hugh Tomlinson QC, told the high court on Monday that his client could seek an injunction against the media for harassment.

He said: "A number of journalists are repeatedly ringing the doorbell of my client and causing considerable distress to his family. That is only the beginning of the intrustion. If this continues, an injunction will be applied for to prevent this harassment."

The original gagging order remains in place, despite the media reporting that on Monday in the Commons MP John Hemming had used parliamenty privilege to name the footballer.

On Monday evening, shortly after Hemming had spoken in parliament, Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled in the high court that "this is not about secrecy, this is about intrusion".

Giggs sat out an opening training session held in front of TV cameras earlier on Tuesday. The midfielder is set to appear in Gary Neville's testimonial match on Tuesday evening, alongside David Beckham and other former teammates.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, earlier on Tuesday ordered that a journalist be banned from a press event later this week after he asked a question about Giggs in a press conference at the club's Carrington training facility.

Ferguson was overheard on a Sky News microphone ordering a press officer to "ban him on Friday" after Rob Harris, a sports correspondent for the Associated Press news agency, asked the United manager "how important" Giggs was for the team on Saturday.

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