Brighton and Hove City Council has set up a hotline to report graffiti, it was announced today (Tuesday 18 August).
The council said: “If you see someone tagging or have evidence against anyone daubing graffiti, you can now report it though our environmental enforcement hotline.
“Residents can call 01273 295063 to give details of the offence and our officers will be able to respond quickly.
“The phone line is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. A voicemail function is in place to take any messages for calls outside of these hours.
“Our environmental enforcement officers can fine anyone found drawing graffiti on public and private land where they don’t have the landowner’s permission.
“We will issue fixed penalty notices of £150 to anyone found committing the offence and will seize any material used to graffiti.
“We’re also working closely with Sussex Police on prosecuting offenders.
“Two recent high-profile prosecutions include a Hove man found guilty of racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage and a Brighton man ordered to pay almost £2,000 compensation for tagging offences.
“Residents can also call the hotline number to report fly-tipping offences.
“Graffiti includes anything written, sprayed or painted on public or private property. It’s illegal to do this without permission.
“We are not responsible for the removal of graffiti on private property. However, we can take legal action against offenders where we have evidence.
“Our street cleaning team will also remove or paint over any offensive graffiti in public places.
“This includes anything racist, sexist, ageist, anti-faith, homophobic or full of swear words.
“We aim to remove offensive graffiti within 24 hours of it being reported to us.
“We are also responsible for removing graffiti on council property, including buildings, benches, signs and street lights.
“If you are in a resident or community group, we also have a community clean-up scheme which could give you supplies to paint over graffiti in your local area.”
Green councillor Amy Heley, who jointly chairs the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “Tagging is becoming an increasing problem in Brighton and Hove. It often blights the look and feel of city and costs a huge amount of time and money to remove.
“We’re introducing this new way of reporting to help reduce the amount of tagging in our city.
“Our environmental enforcement officers are out and about in the city regularly and will stop and fine anyone they see.
“But we need your help to tackle unwanted graffiti – if you see anyone tagging in the city, please let us know.”
I am so dismayed by the social inadequates who have trashed the mural off George Street upon which many of us worked some six years ago. At the time, when I worried about potential vandalism of it, I was told that people would “respect” it.
Alas, not.
And to think that these vandals might duly have children; and so the problem continues: irresponsibility down the line.
Meanwhile, round the corner high up on Haddington Road, there is more of it (how did they reach there?). Including the huge proclamation REAMS LIKES CHINESE GIRLS. I have seen this elsewhere, on a smaller scale.
Who is Reams and what is the basis for this assertion of his/her partiality?
Meanwhile, we need the George Street mural restored, and treated with something to ensure that daubs do not adhere, can be wiped away.
Residents can call 01273 295063 to give details of the offence and our officers will be able to respond quickly – Respond quickly? Please…..I’ve been waiting over a year for a brown composting wheelie bin! The only thing that the council is quick to do is to create weird cycle lanes – and I’m a regular cyclist!
So the days of the 9-5 graffiti artist are over ?
Harry Reems was a porno star: graffiti artists are not well known for their spelling.