About graffiti
Research shows that when an area is covered in graffiti, the community as a whole begin to suffer.
Areas with graffiti are more prone to littering and vandalism as pride and respect for the area starts to decline. Keep Britain Tidy campaigns to stop graffiti destroying our local spaces and the communities within them.
What is graffiti?
Graffiti is any illegal marking to walls and other surfaces. It covers a wide variety of forms including ‘masterpieces’, ‘tags’, juvenile scribbles, scratchings and etchings. Although there are many types of graffiti, by far the most prevalent throughout England are juvenile scribbles which are responsible for most of the graffiti on our streets. This type of graffiti can often be racist and offensive in nature.
Why is graffiti a problem?
English councils spend £27 million a year on graffiti removal and almost 90% of authorities think it is a problem in their area. Hotspots for graffiti are often subways and train stations which can create a negative first impression of towns throughout the country.
In some cases graffiti can be extremely offensive which can cause concern and upset to local residents. Graffiti can often make residents feel unsafe and increases their fear of crime within their community.
Graffiti is often difficult and costly for councils to clean. Its removal can be very labour intensive and in many cases requires specialist machinery and materials to ensure that an area is completely cleared.
What can I do about graffiti?
If you want to report graffiti in your local area you should firstly contact your local council and tell them about the problem. Your council, or its contractor, will usually remove graffiti from public buildings or monuments. In some cases it may also be able to help you with graffiti on private buildings.
Many groups involved in the Big Tidy Up www.thebigtidyup.org extend the event to more than litter picking. Often groups use a Big Tidy Up litter pick as a starting point to renovate an area such as a local park or community centre. This will often involve graffiti removal. Keep Britain Tidy run graffiti removal training courses for both councils and local communities. These courses can provide equipment, detailed information and practical tips on graffiti removal.
If you find graffiti unacceptable and think it is a blight on your local area why not become a Keep Britain Tidy supporter and we will keep you updated on everything we are doing to tackle the problem of graffiti and other environmental issues damaging our local communities.