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Colchester buildings sprayed by graffit gang in city centre
Several properties have been left with graffiti damage after being tagged by the unknown perpetrators.
Castle ward councillor Steph Nissen said those responsible are “spoiling” the city centre and called on their spree to stop.
Essex Police has received several reports of incidents on multiple days last week.
One unconfirmed shop in Culver Street West was left tarnished by the word “Lane” being sprayed across its front window.
On the same day “Qball” was tagged on the rear of a public building in Trinity Square, before it was again left on a postbox in Pelham’s Lane.
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The postbox sustained damage in the incident, a report stated.
Another incident saw three walls in St John’s Street marked with the word “Arcy”, again with damage caused.
Ms Nissen said: “It is mindless crime that is done with no real intention other than causing a bit of chaos.
“It is vexatious, this behaviour is considered to be victimless but actually time, energy and money is required to clean it up.
“It is disrespectful to business owners, particularly when they are independent having to pay out of their own pocket in order to get rid of it.”
Elsewhere in Colchester, footpaths and cut-throughs blighted by anti-social behaviour have been transformed after street artists were allowed to make their mark.
Kendell Folley and Camp Folley North, in New Town, have been reclaimed and turned into a positive space which allows street art.
Ms Nissen said she hopes more areas in the city can be offered to those wanting to express themselves legitimately through graffiti.
“I have seen how popular the graffiti work in the folleys has been and there has been minimal defacing of it,” she added.
“If we had somewhere like that closer to the city centre where people with this skills could go we could turn a negative into a positive.
“We are really proud of our city centre but right now a small group of people are spoiling it.”
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