Town to be made graffiti-free (From Malvern Gazette)

Town to be made graffiti-free

3:09pm Wednesday 26th December 2007 in News By Tarik Al Rasheed

A ZERO-tolerance policy on vandalism is being enforced as Malvern Hills District Council aims to keep the town graffiti free.

Street scene manager Gordon Morris has warned would-be vandals that anyone caught spraying graffiti in or around the town will be prosecuted, resulting in a court appearance and potentially a hefty fine.

His warning comes after 15 separate incidences of graffiti were sprayed on town centre buildings and landmarks, including the Malvinha Fountain in Belle Vue Island, in one night earlier this month.

Each shows the distinctive tag Toro', and the name Carl' has been sprayed under one.

"We are totally appalled by this, and are actively working with the police to find the culprit," said Mr Morris. "The main CCTV camera footage is being checked and we have visited all the affected shops to see if their own cameras picked anyone up. Should we catch the person involved they will be prosecuted."

He added that the damage could cost several thousand pound to clean up, with the burden falling both on individual businesses and Malvern taxpayers.

Mr Morris feels the situation with graffiti is generally very good in Malvern, and hopes a hard-line policy will stop any problems before they escalate.

"The last major problems we had were in Thirlstane Road back in November 2006, and the people responsible for that were taken to court and fined," he said. "Generally graffiti is not a problem, and we want to keep it that way."

Anyone with any information about the graffiti, which took place on the night of Tuesday, December 11, should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.