Conservative councillor blames young people for Southchurch graffiti
By Rachel Charman
Conservative councillor for Southchurch Brian Kelly has informed the Council of numerous graffiti tags on the footbridge over the railway at Southend East station.
Cllr Kelly has also voiced his anger at the vandalism, and expressed concern over the effect of graffiti on the local community.
Cllr Kelly said: “The ‘artists’ could only have sprayed their tags by standing on a service pipe whilst clinging onto the wire mesh, that is ironically there to prevent people on the bridge gaining access to its exterior.
“Some of the graffiti is in the centre of the bridge, directly over the tracks and just centimetres from an overhead cable carrying, I understand, 25,000 volts.
“It’s a miracle whoever did this wasn’t killed or badly injured.
“These youngsters are defacing the area where we live and in the process, frequently put their lives at risk to do it.
“I’ve contacted the council to ask if they can get rid of it and am meeting with the local Police to see if we can work together to eradicate this prolific and unsightly scrawl.
“Graffiti has a negative effect on the community and the lives of ordinary people.
“I believe whoever does this thinks that it is somehow cool and part of street culture but it isn’t, it is simply criminal damage and wanton vandalism.
“We need a strategy in place to identify the persistent culprits, prevent them from getting hold of the materials they use, arrest them if they’re caught in the act, or for possession of spray cans or pens and fine them more heavily than at present.
“We should then get those offenders to put right what they’ve done wrong.”
Graffiti art around the globe.