Graffiti crime costs taxpayers thousands

Graffiti artists are blighting the streets of Staffordshire and the Black Country, with councils across the region forking out tens of thousands of pounds in a bid to clean up after them.

Cases in Sandwell have gone up by a massive 50 per cent, while Dudley Council has had to spend an extra £10,000 tackling the problem this year.

Meanwhile in Wolverhampton, street furniture and bridges are being treated with a special substance that makes it easier to clean.

To date, figures show the number of reported cases in Sandwell has risen to 310 so far in 2011/2012 compared with 212 cases last year. It is costing about £80,000 a year to combat the problem.

Councillor Derek Rowley said: "We try to clean it up as quickly as possible as it lowers an area and sometimes the content of the graffiti is offensive.

"We would ask the public to notify us immediately they see anyone causing problems in the area."

Meanwhile Dudley Council has spent £90,000 tackling graffiti – £10,000 more than last year. Yet there were fewer cases – 1,153 in 2010/ 2011 compared with 972 in 2011/ 2012.

Dudley councillor Patrick Harley, for transportation, said: "Graffiti is a crime and causes an eyesore, not only that, it leaves the taxpayer out of pocket when we have to clean it off."

Cases reported in Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire and Stafford have fallen from 956 to 692, 20 to 11 and 49 to 20 respectively.

Wolverhampton City Council spokesman Tim Clark said: "When we get a report of graffiti an enforcement officer will visit the site, photograph it and make local door to door enquiries.

We have taken pictures of graffiti into schools to try and identify the culprits."

South Staffordshire Council spokesman Jamie Angus said: "We want to keep our streets and villages clean so we try to deal with graffiti as quickly as we can but we rely on local people reporting it to us."

No-one from Walsall Council or Cannock Chase Council was available for comment.