Dr Alec Watson's Volvo was smashed during his shift at King's Cross Hospital

The medic from Dundee, who is semi-retired, has been forced to now use taxis

Nurse Holly Coates had finished an exhausting shift to find her Ford battered

Ms Coates, from Middlesbrough ,said vandalism was upsetting in these times

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NHS medics on the front line of Britain's coronavirus emergency have been targeted by thugs who smashed up their cars while they treated the sick.

Dr Alec Watson was pulled from his shift at the King's Cross Hospital, Dundee, after his and a colleague's vehicle windows were both shattered.

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And nurse Holly Coates was devastated after finishing an exhausting day at James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough, to find her back window had also been battered.

Nothing is believed to have been stolen in either case, but the public has been warned to brace for a spike in crime as people exploit the time of crisis to carry out criminal activity.

Ms Coates shared pictures of her vandalised Ford on Facebook, which revealed a gaping hole in the glass.

Dr Alec Watson had his Volvo car window smashed in during his shift at King's Cross Hospital in Dundee

Nurse Hollie Coates also found her Ford battered after finishing her shift at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough

Ms Coates said the vandalism was particularly upsetting as the NHS was already under strain from the coronavirus pandemic

In an emotional Facebook post last night, she wrote: 'So after finishing a shift at James Cook I've came out to my back window being smashed in, just wanting to warn all staff to be careful where they are parking.

'This is partially upsetting at a time when we are all working above and beyond and doing extra shifts during annual leave to pull together to fight this nasty and life-threatening virus.'

She quickly received a flood of support from well-wishers who tore into the 'disgusting' vandals.

The same day, Dr Watson, who triages people suspected of having coronavirus over the phone at King's Cross Hospital, was alerted to damage to his Volvo at around 10.45am.

He found the front passenger window of his had been completely caved in and had sprayed shards of glass across the hospital car park.

Another car, believed to belong to a senior nurse at the hospital, was also vandalised at around the same time.

Dr Watson branded the culprit's actions as 'appalling', especially as the NHS is already under strain with coronavirus cases piling up daily.

Dr Watson branded the culprit's actions (smashed window pictured) as 'appalling', especially as the NHS is already under strain with coronavirus cases piling up daily

He said: 'We are hugely busy at the moment with coronavirus and this is the last thing we need.

'I'm semi-retired but have been working more to help ease the pressure.

'At around 10.45am reception told me the police were there because two cars had been damaged.

'Mine was in the car park, beside the special area that's cordoned off to examine patients with potential coronavirus.

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'The passenger window was completely smashed, although nothing was taken as I don't keep valuables in the car.

'I was taken out of my busy work for an hour to speak to the police. It's appalling that someone has done this, especially during this time.'

Dr Watson said he will now have to take a taxi to work while the damage to his car is repaired.

Police arrived at the hospital shortly after 10.30am after receiving multiple reports of vandalism to the vehicles.

One witness described how he saw a man on a bike behaving suspiciously in the area around the time of the incident.

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He said: 'I saw a man on a bike who was looking pretty shifty. I drove up the road up there and then came back and he was gone.

'It looked like he was looking into the cars but I didn't get a good sight of him unfortunately.

'I don't think the car parked on the street had been done at that stage but I don't know about the one in the car park.

'I think it's awful somebody could do that to hospital workers at a time like this.

'Everyone has enough to deal with and this is the last thing NHS staff need.'

A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed officers are investigating, while MailOnline has contacted Cleveland Police for information.

Britain's NHS is creaking under the pressure of coronavirus cases, with Boris Johnson warning it threatens to be 'overwhelmed' people flout social distancing rules and help accelerate the spread of the virus.

Some NHS staff have also complained of not being given the appropriate protective equipment, while others lament the lack of food on the shelves at the end of their shift after panic-buyers strip the aisles bare.

Yet many organisations have tried to lighten the load on these frontline staff and several supermarkets have now enforced reserved early hours for them to shop.

While swathes of the nation are pulling together to help out their fellow countrymen in dark times, some yobs have have exploited the crisis.

In one example of thuggery, thieves broke into the Old Vicarage hotel in Shropshire on Friday night and gutted its fridges and freezers of food waiting to be delivered to people in self-isolation.

The public was today warned to stay vigilant of heightened gang violence on the streets, which could also heap more pressure on the health service.

Richard Walton, former head of counter-terrorism at Scotland Yard, said: 'The risk with an increase in gang violence over the coming months is that stabbings in particular so often require intensive care treatment.

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'Hospitals must be spared this extra strain on their resources as they cope with the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.'