Environment

Graffiti

What is Graffiti?

Graffiti is illegal and an antisocial activity that creates a negative impression of an area and contributes to people's fear of crime
Graffiti is the most common type of property vandalism
Graffiti is often the first element in a spiral of decline. If graffiti is not removed others will feel free to add to it
Its artistic merits are irrelevant. It represents one group of people imposing themselves on everyone else and as such is a form of pollution, like people playing loud music
Graffiti is also a green issue as it is an attack on the environment

The cost of cleaning up graffiti is enormous and is difficult to eradicate completely.

What can you do to help prevent graffiti?

There are a number of tools available to tackle the problem of graffiti. The government has introduced a ban on the sale of spray paints to under 16s to tackle the source of the problem by taking away the means to graffiti.

Planting shrubs and other vegetation to make vulnerable areas inaccessible
Prompt removal
Use materials (for example trellising) and surfaces that make graffiti vandalism difficult
Education
Apply a clear coat finish to protect painted and unpainted surfaces and use protective film coverings on windows
Report graffiti for removal as soon as it is seen online. This service is available 24 hours a day
If you see anyone committing vandalism, report it to us at Barking and Dagenham Direct, police, school authorities, or someone who can take action. Remember, vandalism is a crime
Using pastel shades for communal areas rather than white, magnolia or traditional colours reduces graffiti attacks

Graffiti Prevention Tips for Businesses and Freeholders

Ongoing upkeep

Make every effort to keep the appearance of a facility clean and neat. An outside appearance that suggests lack of care and neglect attracts vandals
Littered car parks and drives, existing graffiti, broken fences, overgrown landscaping, and poor lighting all send a message to vandals that business owners are not attentive or do not care about the business
Rapid and continual removal of graffiti is the best way for businesses and commercial property owners to protect the image of their street and preserve customers' sense of security. Studies show that removal within 24-48 hours results in a nearly zero rate of reoccurrence by signing up to the Barking and Dagenham Anti-Graffiti Charter we can help you to achieve this

Control access

Include shrubs, robust plants, and vines to restrict vandals access
Add or improve lighting around the building to promote natural surveillance
Use fences, controlled entrances and exits, rails, and other barriers that discourage through traffic
Limit access to roofs by moving Euro bins away from walls and covering drain pipes to prevent vandals from scaling them

Step up security

Install some type of security camera
Organise a 'Business Watch' with nearby shop keepers to keep tabs on a business area. Businesses may want to employ security personnel to monitor property
Don't allow a 'legal wall' or an area that permits graffiti, at your business; they are largely ineffective and may draw more graffiti vandals to the area
Employ graffiti resistant materials or coatings on a chronically hit wall

What we will do

We offer a free graffiti removal service to all flatted accommodation
We are now in partnership with British Telecom and NTL, which enables us to remove graffiti from their telephone boxes
We remove graffiti from public areas including parks and public buildings
We remove racist or obscene graffiti within 7 working hours
We remove reported graffiti on permissible homes/structures within 7 days
Our Environmental Improvement service can also look at installing fences to prevent access to walls that are being constantly tagged or they can commission murals and works of urban art which can also prove a barrier to unsightly tags
Small to medium sized enterprises who sign up to our Anti-Graffiti Charter will be offered a discounted graffiti removal rate and help you to keep your business free from graffiti

Removal timescales

When graffiti appears on tenanted properties or council owned property, we will aim to remove it as soon as possible from the time we receive its report.

Priority 1

7 working hours for racial and offensive material on all permissible areas.

Priority 2

3 working days for all council flatted, tenanted properties and council buildings.

Priority 3

5 working days for all private and commercial buildings for which there is normally a charge for non-offensive graffiti or graffiti on street furniture.

Please note: Non-permissible areas include stakeholder property, which we do not have permission to clear and material over 3 metres high. Non-permissible also includes: