Bid to catch the town taggers

Spalding has been hit by a spate of incidents of graffiti leading to a councillor to ask for anyone with information on the perpetrators to contact the police.

Even council-owned street art has been targeted, leading to county and district councillor Gary Taylor’s call at Spalding Town Forum last week.
“We had the problem in Spalding before, it was one or two people, they were prosecuted, then it stopped,” Coun Taylor said. “Someone out there knows who is responsible.
“It’s not on one or two places, it’s in many parts and infrastructure, and the same tags and offensive comments.
“We as a community need to try and identify who is responsible for this and press the message that it’s not acceptable here.
“We accept public art, but graffiti is not that. There is a difference.
“We need to gather evidence and find who is responsible.”
Coun Taylor spoke about how graffiti has to be cleared by the owner of the building and the steps South Holland District Council was taking in that regards.
He told the meeting incidents should be reported to council’s community wardens so they can gather evidence to build towards a possible prosecution.
“The district council community warden has been very active talking to businesses and encouraging them to remove graffiti,” he continued. “Action has been taking place to remove graffiti on council owned property. It’s a step forward.
“Most businesses have been proactive when approached and some have even removed it before they’re spoken to.
“One or two have been negative about that approach but we need to put the spotlight on those individuals causing this problem.
“I reported some graffiti to Anglian Water that was near the Castle Sports Complex and two days later they removed it which was impressive. Others need to follow their lead.
“I tried to contact BT about the phone box in the Sheep Market being rather grim. It’s not an attractive sight.
“I’d describe their customer service as painful. It’s not good on their part.
“They need to step up and do their bit.”