Tackling the blight of graffiti across the city

You only have to have stepped out your door in Peterborough and walked a few steps to have seen graffiti tags blighting our streets, paths and parks.

Peterborough City Council has said the problem is on the rise in the city, with walls, underpasses, signs and other street furniture all becoming targets for vandals.

One tag in particular has become prevalent across the whole city in recent months – the large circle, with two, smaller, circles inside – but other tags are also continuing to appear.

However, the city centre is bucking the trend thanks to the work of the Business Improvement District (BID) team.

Pep Cipriano, the BID chief operating officer, said tackling the issue was one of the priorities, to ensure the city centre is a pleasant place for workers, shoppers and other visitors.

He said: “The team here go around every week and take note of any new graffiti and speak to people about where it has appeared.

“We have got together with the community payback team, and they come in once a week to come and remove it.

“It means that it is gone almost as soon as it has arrived.

“In the last 18 months they have worked in a number of locations, including Town Bridge, the railway station, near the Brewery Tap, Cowgate – across the whole of the city centre.

“From my perspective,

in our area we have seen a reduction in graffiti – people are realising that if they do tag something, it will be cleaned off in a couple of days.

“In the past six weeks, I’ve been to Ipswich, Brighton

and Colchester, towns and cities of a similar size to us – and they have bigger graffiti problems in their BID areas that we do.

“We will never get rid of graffiti altogether – it is part of modern life now – but we are bucking the trend in the city centre. We are also getting a positive response from people who are seeing the community payback team carrying out the work, and seeing justice being done.”

A Cambridgeshire police spokesperson said graffiti would normally be an issue for the council, unless the graffiti was offensive. A council spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to working with partners and supporting any work they do to help clean up graffiti.”

The spokesperson said there were examples of graffiti they were unable to clean – eg graffiti on private property or third party property, such as railway stations, railway bridges, post boxes and telephone boxes.

The council website on graffiti says reported graffiti will be cleared within 24 hours if it if offensive, or within three days if it is not.

However, the site also adds: “Aragon prioritises removal of offensive graffiti on underpasses and skate parks.

“Where non-offensive graffiti is widespread throughout a location, it may not be feasible to remove items in the short term.

“The location may be logged as an area for future

The community payback team clearing more graffiti in the city centre

There has been an increase in graffiti across Peterborough

project investment for clearing / painting in full instead.” The spokesperson urged anyone who wishes to report graffiti in their area to visit www.peterborough.gov.uk/ residents/saferpeterborough/graffiti Your can report graffiti by calling 01733 747474 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) The website states: “If you see graffiti on public property, please let us know. Graffiti is anything written, sprayed or painted on public or private property. ‘It is illegal without permission. Reporting graffiti is different depending on: -Where it is -Whether it is offensive Offensive graffiti could be considered as words or pictures that contain: -Hate comments -Extremist sentiment -Anti-faith -Swear words ‘We are not responsible for removing graffiti from third party property such as: -Train stations -Railway bridges -Telephone boxes -Post boxes -Street cabinets (not owned by us)”

The community payback team has been clearing graffiti in the city centre

More graffiti blighting the riverside scene at Fletton Quays