Council faces £480k bus shelter bill

A PERTH graffiti blackspot has been given a fresh lick of paint.

Council bosses called on offenders to cover up unsightly graffiti on the pedestrian overpass at the Inveralmond Industrial Estate on the edge of the city.

The job was carried out by people who had been sentenced in court to complete unpaid work as part of a community payback order.

Crews painted over graffiti on the bridge over the dual carriageway at Inveralmond.

They also white-washed a shed.

The project was led by Perth and Kinross Council’s unpaid work team.

And it comes just weeks after the council led a clear-up at a fly-tipping blackspot on the other side of the city.

More than 230 tonnes of illegally-dumped rubbish and waste was removed from the land at Lower Friarton.

It took three days to shift the pile of junk which had been dumped there over a 15-year period.

Again, the unpaid work team – part of the council’s criminal justice service – was tasked with tidying up the site.

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “Graffiti is an anti-social activity which can blight our communities.

“You can report graffiti to the council by calling 01738 476476 and we will do our best to deal with it.”

If graffiti is on a public building or a road sign, for example, the council will arrange for it to be cleaned.

If it is on private property, it can offer owners graffiti clean-up kits at a discounted price.

The Perth and Kinross Community Planning Partners joint action plan on graffiti and fly posting sets out a “zeroacceptance” policy towards the issue.

COUNCIL chiefs are set to spend around £480,000 over the next six years paying for the repair of smashed and vandalised bus shelters in Dundee.

The local authority is anticipating the repair bill during that period, based on recent costs.

The council now plans to find a contractor to provide glazing and repair services for the 348 shelters it manages across the city.

About 30 of the shelters are fitted with polycarbonate and the rest with toughened glass.

Councillor Steven Rome, convener of the fair work, economic growth and infrastructure committee, said: “Bus shelter vandalism continues to be a drain on scarce council resources and detracts from the investment we could otherwise make to improving public services.

“We are in a position now where we need to appoint a new supplier to carry out these specialist repairs.

“The council continues to work with partners including Police Scotland to try and reduce the amount of bus shelter vandalism across the city.”

Councillors will be asked to approve the tender process at a meeting on Monday.

Vandals have targeted bus shelters.

Perth graffiti clean-up.