Hull traders say graffiti spoils street's 'real' art murals

One of the professional art murals on Hall Street off Spring Bank Road in Hull

Traders in Hull said graffiti was "the worst in 30 years" on a street where several "intelligent" murals had also been painted.

The staff at Spring Bank Tavern, Disc Discovery and Aval Mobile said they welcomed the murals, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

But they said graffiti on vans and shutters was "disgusting vandalism".

Humberside Police said people should report graffiti to the force and Hull Council so action could be taken.

Darran Crowther, of record shop Disc Discovery, said the spray painting on Spring Bank Road was "the worst it's ever been".

Shop owners in the area said graffiti was "not art" but "petty vandalism"

He said: "Graffiti isn't street art, it's petty vandalism. My dad is 84, he came back in his van one day and it had giant letters plastered all over one side.

"If I ever caught them, I'd spray them."

He said buildings and homes had also been targeted, by adults and children.

"It's disgraceful."

Paul Neve, at Spring Bank Tavern, said he loved the murals but found scrawls of graffiti unsightly.

Paul Neve at the Spring Bank Tavern (right) had also noticed a rise in graffiti in the area

"It's about whether it's tasteful or not and where it is," he said.

"Spring Bank Tavern is 200 years old, it was an old fire station, it has history behind it, so it wouldn't be nice if someone just scrawled on it."

He said the murals on Spring Bank Road were "awesome", but "people shouldn't just be spraying shutters with their name without adding anything good".

Residents and traders said the professional art murals were "beautiful and intelligent art"

Humberside Police said: "Graffiti is criminal damage if you do not have the owner's permission.

"It can also contribute to increased perceptions of antisocial behaviour and crime, and have cost implications for the owners of private property.

"We work closely with our partners in the area to tackle it. To report issues of this nature please call our non-emergency number 101."