The Vespa in Heath Street was covered in insults. Picture: Lewis Hill

A slighted girlfriend left a very public surprise for her cheating fella in Hampstead by scrawling insults all over his moped.

The Vespa moped in Heath Street, Hampstead, covered in insults in permanent marker. Picture: Lewis Hill

The angry ex defaced her partner’s shiny Vespa with permanent marker while it was parked in Heath Street – attracting a crowd of people.

Some of the tamer insults on the moped, which is worth thousands of pounds, included “evil boy”, “life destroyer” and “liar”.

Marketeer Lewis Hill, 31, who stopped to photograph the scene, said: “There must have been 20 people around it trying to take pictures.

“I was actually moving into the flat which it was in front of and I couldn’t get past the crowd.

“Most people were shocked.There were gasps but mainly smiling and giggling – the blokes less so.

“I had to take a picture because I just couldn’t believe it!”

The public display of animosity reflects a wider trend at this time of year – rising numbers of divorces.

The festive period sees a spike in the number of people filing with family lawyers and the first Monday of the New Year is known as “D-day for divorces”.

Luke Thompson, an associate solicitor at RA Savage & Co, in Perrin’s Court, Hampstead, which specialises in family law, says December and January are their busiest months.

He said: “Couples often hang all their hopes on Christmas because it’s a time when people come together with family and mutual friends.

“It’s also a time of reflection and the hope is that, at Christmas, they might be able to reignite the flame.

“I have had people reconcile during the Christmas period. But, unfortunately, the instructions, more often than not, are to proceed with the divorce.”

Christmas TV and community carols often bring out the family element of the holiday season, prompting people to examine their own relationships.

Mr Thompson said: “I think, if anything, it gives people hope and they want to cling on to that.

“I think couples should be admired for that. But I also think they should explore other aids, such as relationship coaching, well before the period of Christmas.”

The vexed Vespa ex-girlfriend may have missed the memo.

As onlooker Mr Hill said: “I’m pleased for whoever did it. Taking revenge is something we’ve all thought about but not had the guts to do. I would definitely keep on the right side of her!”