Graffiti yobs urged to stop
Residents, shoppers and business owners outraged
Police have appealed for information about those responsible for the surge in graffiti which has appeared on town buildings in recent weeks.
Residents, shoppers and business owners have been left outraged by the spraypainted vandalism, with many fearing the town has lost its civic pride.
Calls were this week made for action to be taken against the sudden surge of graffiti which is spreading across Hamilton town centre.
Residents, shoppers and business owners have been outraged by the vandalism.
Just last Friday, the Advertiser identified a number of walls that had recently been ‘tagged’ with spray paint.
The vandals appear to be spraying anywhere including doors, walls and windows.
One town centre building had the whole of its edging covered in markings.
The vandalism spree comes just after Christina Mckelvie, the MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and Angela Crawley, the MP for Hamilton East and Lanark revealed the findings from their consultation on the state of the town centre.
At the meeting, one resident suggested that Hamilton had lost its “civic pride” and said there were a number of issues of litter in and around the town centre which should be looked into.
Ms Mckelvie said: “of course it’s disappointing to hear about the graffiti throughout our town.
“Not only does this give off a misrepresentative impression of Hamilton, but it is exactly the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve with our Hamilton town centre action plan.
“The ‘Our Town, Your Voice’ consultation report was launched last week by Angela Crawley MP and I. The report aims to empower the residents of Hamilton to take ownership of their town centre and restore a sense of civic pride in our town.
“I would appeal to the perpetrators of this graffiti to immediately stop. It would be far more productive to work together towards restoring that civic pride in our town rather than committing acts of vandalism.”
Gareth Walker, manager of Hamilton Business Improvement District, said it was sad that people want to vandalise their own town.
He said: “Town centre trading is difficult enough without the added burden of people damaging the look of the town.
“Hamilton business owners take a pride in their properties and invest in their upkeep. In these challenging times they can do without the added expense of graffiti removal. This problem appears to be an issue across the area and is causing thousands of pounds worth of damage for both the council, business owners and private residents.
“This vandalism has been a recent phenomenon and we call on residents to support the police and the local authority to bring these vandals to account.”
South Lanarkshire Council’s head of facilities, waste and grounds services, Alistair Mckinnon, said: “We are aware of a recent spate of graffiti incidents on properties in Hamilton including private dwellings, shops and commercial outlets in the town centre area. These acts of vandalism are not to be tolerated and anyone with information on those responsible should contact the police.
“South Lanarkshire Council will be consulting with our partners at Police Scotland and our Town Centre Charter partnership members to develop a practical approach for having this graffiti removed and to consider the available options for challenging and preventing this anti-social behaviour. To report graffiti to the council, phone 0303 123 1020.”
Inspector Scott Mccarren of Hamilton Police said: “We are aware of a number of acts of vandalism in Hamilton town centre and we are following an active line of inquiry. We would appeal to anyone who has any information on those responsible to come forward and contact ourselves.
“Anyone who has any further information should call Police 101.”