Campaign targets town's graffiti

A leaflet on how to prevent illegal sales will be distributed

Trading standards officers on Teesside are running a campaign to tackle the problem of graffiti.

Officers in Middlesbrough are working to raise awareness among retailers about new laws to prevent the sale of spray paint to under-16s.

They recently carried out a survey which found nine out of 16 shops had illegally sold canisters of paint to a 13-year-old volunteer.

The cost of cleaning up graffiti in the town is about £80,000 a year.

Traders who illegally sold spray paint during the survey will be written to and a leaflet outlining the law and advice on how to prevent illegal sales will be distributed to premises across the town.

Middlesbrough Council executive member for public protection Barry Coppinger said: "Graffiti often leads to a spiral of decline which blights communities, heightens the fear of crime and reduces residents' pride in their area.

"The council will use these new powers to prevent youngsters gaining easy access to spray paint which will consequently help protect our environment."