Council vows to tackle 'offensive' graffiti

Erewash Borough Council has declared "a war on graffiti" in Long Eaton and Ilkeston after a recent spate of vandalism, some of which was highlighted as being offensive or racist in nature.

The two towns are to receive £20,000 from the authority for graffiti kits that will be available for businesses and community groups.

An "anti-graffiti action plan" will also be developed to target problem sites.

The money is part of an overall package of £2m which forms part of the Erewash Investment Fund.

The deputy Labour leader of the council Rebecca Everett said the council had been contacted by the public expressing concerns about the nature of some of the graffiti.

"We've seen recently in some spots in Erewash however much it gets cleaned, it keeps cropping up. If we don't have this funding...it takes a lot longer to get it cleaned," she said.

"The graffiti is quite wide-ranging but before the election there was some graffiti that highlighted Reform UK. There was also some graffiti...that some people found to be offensive, such as racism, and we wanted to get rid of that as quickly as possible.

"I don't think anyone likes graffiti and especially when it's offensive it needs to be cleaned as quickly as possible. The general idea is to make Erewash a nicer place to live."

Phrases such as "no room for mosques" and "illegals out" have appeared around the town centres. Graffiti relating to the Gaza conflict has also been an issue.

Some walls in Long Eaton town centre in particular have been repeatedly targeted for the graffiti.

The kits will be made available for local businesses and community groups so they can clean graffiti quickly if it appears.

Council staff have to gain the permission to remove graffiti from business and property owners who are not always based in the area.

It is hoped that giving kits to shop managers will ensure offensive graffiti is tackled sooner.

The funding forms part of £700,000 allocated as part of the first phase of investing £2m into the community.

Other projects include £210,000 for street cleanliness and £135,000 to increase the capacity of Erewash's Neighbourhood Wardens service, which deals with issues such as fly-tipping, graffiti and town centre patrols.

Ilkeston town centre will also receive £101,000 for replacing street furniture and the council will abe investing £50,000 to partner with local artists to commission street art murals.

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