New kits to power council’s graffiti crackdown

A NEW set of portable ‘graffiti removal kits’ are set to be at the forefront of the district council’s battle against the ubiquitous crime.

The authority is cracking down on rouge graffiti artists in the district and hopes that its new �1500 kits will see the troublesome ‘art’ removed before it is even seen by the public.

Cllr Tony Parramint, chairman of the environment and transport committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC), said: “The portable kits are simple to use and highly effective so we are very pleased to offer them to parish councils in our district and provide them with training.

“Removing graffiti quickly contributes to a reduced fear of crime in an area, as it reduces the likelihood of a place looking rundown. We all want East Cambridgeshire to look as good as possible and these kits will help to make a real difference.”

The new kits have been paid for thanks to a one-off �1500 grant from the Accelerated Neighbourhood Partnership Fund and they will be available to all parish and town councils in the district.

Similar schemes trialled in London, Bristol and Brighton have already proved a success and council officers hope the kits will make an impact in East Cambridgeshire.

“Graffiti in the district is currently removed by community service workers which happens once a week, said cllr Parramint. “As this system does not allow for fast removal of offensive graffiti, we thought it was important to bring in these kits to tackle any issues as soon as possible.”

It is hoped that with the new kits, council staff will be able to act faster to remove graffiti, which, it says, could act as a deterrent to graffiti artists and could also enable rapid removal of offensive graffiti from sensitive areas.

The kits which will be available from early 2011, contain non hazardous fruit based chemicals to quickly remove any graffiti.

For further information and help contact the council on 01353 665555.