Mar 12 2004

By Ben Griffin

A leading city councillor has pledged tough action against graffiti artists.

The pledge follows the arrest of two men in connection with up to £40,000 worth of graffiti damage in Coventry.

Cllr Phil Townshend, the city council's cabinet member for city services, said vandals would be vigorously pursued.

Two men, aged 18 and 22, were arrested on suspicion of carrying out spray attacks and leaving their distinctive "tags" behind.

The arrests came after the city council, West Midlands Police and city centre management company CV One teamed up to combat the graffiti problem.

Cllr Townshend said: "Graffiti has blighted the city centre and some of the most deprived areas of our city. Why should council taxpayers have their property sprayed with graffiti, and then have to foot the bill for it to be removed?"

He added that graffiti vandals may have to pay the clean-up costs for the damage they cause.

"With public co-operation, we are determined to clean up our city and to pursue all graffiti vandals, including taking civil proceedings to recover the costs," he said.

"If individuals can afford to purchase cans of spray-paint for graffiti purposes, they can afford to pay to have their graffiti removed."

Conservative deputy leader Tony O'Neill, a former detective chief inspector, praised the combined operation.

"I had meetings with police, members of CV One, including

Roger Bache, and city services officers Harvey Cullen and Steve Moore, and I arranged a series of meetings over the past few weeks and months culminating in information police were able to act on."

* Cllr Townshend urged anyone who would like to report graffiti to the city council to phone the free and confidential hotline on 0500 834 333.