Graffiti 'epidemic' to be tackled with £15k grant

Graffiti impacts people’s quality of life in Cheltenham, the council said

About £15,000 is set to be spent on tackling a spa town's graffiti "epidemic", which is making the area look "very run down".

The Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID), Cheltenham Borough Council and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner have launched a three-month pilot to map and then remove graffiti from the town.

A grant for the pilot was secured from the Home Office.

One business owner told the BBC he has lost £9,000 to people spraying graffiti on his wall three times.

Keith Graham, owner of The Famous On The Prom, called it a "plague and an epidemic".

"Tagging in Cheltenham is a major, major problem. Unless it's tackled seriously then I'm afraid it will continue," he said.

Keith Graham's shop has been hit by graffiti three times, costing him thousands

"While it's [the £15,000] is very welcome I don't believe it's enough money to do the job. But I definitely think it needs doing because it's detracting from the look and the feel of the town.

"People don't like it because it looks very run down with all this graffiti that's appearing everywhere," he added.

The grant is being spent on employing two new employees who will work across Cheltenham town centre two days per work week over three months.

They will be using a range of measures to tackle tagging including rolling out graffiti resistant paint and mapping persistent tagging.

Chief executive at Cheltenham BID Fran Inman said: "It's a big project in a small space of time.

"The idea is to have an impact and improve the perception for the town. It's not just about the tagging, it's the wider picture of Cheltenham.

"It could be perceived negatively if there's lots of tagging. If we clean that up and stay on top of it, it will look a lot better and be more welcoming."

Some business owners have called the tagging "unprofessional and untidy".

She added: "It’s a problem that, while it may never be entirely eliminated, can be significantly reduced through coordinated efforts."

Cabinet member for safety and communities councillor Victoria Atherstone added that graffiti was a "blight" across town.

“The real cost of graffiti can also run into significant sums which is why it’s one of my top priorities.

"Our aim is to have a clear framework for dealing with and preventing graffiti and tagging," Ms Atherstone said.