Spalding councillor says that graffiti is not acceptable in town
A plea has been made to help identify the person responsible for blighting the town with graffiti tags.
Coun Gary Taylor, deputy leader of South Holland District Council, says graffiti is not acceptable in Spalding after a number of walls across the town were defaced by spray paint – and since he spoke more tags have popped up around town.
Fresh tags have been sprayed over the weekend on the boarded up former Calthrops building in Market Place, and on the damaged White Horse in Churchgate.
Coun Taylor also members of Spalding Town Forum last week that businesses need to play their part in tackling this blight by clearing the tags away from their property and hit out at BT for its poor response to his attempts to report an issue near its property.
The Spalding councillor said: “We had an issue a decade ago. Someone out there knows who is responsible. We need to identify who is responsible and press message that we are trying to resolve it and that it is not acceptable here.”
Coun Taylor told last Wednesday’s meeting that the council’s community warden had been approaching businesses in the town to ask them to remove the graffiti from their walls.
He said: “One or two businesses were negative about that approach. We need to put the spotlight on those individuals that are creating the problem.
“Lincolnshire County Council was requested to remove graffiti from Pinchbeck Road and Wygate Park areas that was good progress.
“I did report graffiti on Anglian Water property near the entrance to the Castle Sports Complex and two days later they removed it.
“Others need to follow their lead. Coun Ingrid Sheard spoke about a phone box in the Sheep Market being grim also I noticed last Saturday that a phone box by the BT property (in Spalding) was full of graffiti.
“I did try to contact BT but was passed from one department to another. They need to do more and step up. The council is doing its bit to remove graffiti and BT need to do their bit. They have a role to play here.”
Coun Jan Whitbourn highlighted graffiti on the former Hughes building in Sheep market and asked where these problems should be reported.
Coun Taylor advised contacting the communities team at the council and that they needed to gather evidence for any potential prosecutions.
While Coun Sheard questioned if the CCTV cameras close to the Hughes building had picked up anything.
She said: “Has that been viewed to see if they can get evidence or home in to get an identification?”
Coun Taylor said he did not know the exact operational answer but said if it was reported the CCTV control room would be able to review footage over a month period.
