A COUNCILLOR deeply concerned about the spread of graffiti across the town is urging people to report the culprits before the problem gets any worse.
Coun Steve Green said spray cans as well as tags in the form of pre-printed stickers are a major blight across the borough.
“I must have removed more than 200 of these stickers myself,” he said.
“I can’t do much about the spray paint but I can peel these stickers off.
“I’m not prepared to see my town brought down by these idiots with their cans and stickers.
“It’s an absolute disgrace. There’s about four main culprits, and people must know who they are. I urge people to let us know who they are so they can be stopped and maybe they can be made to remove it all.
“We’re spending so much money improving our town centre, if we’re not careful we’re not going to be able to see any of our street furniture for all these tags.”
He said there are areas in the town centre including Regent Street, and stretches of the road through Birdwell where every lamppost, street sign, bench and telephone equipment cabinet have been tagged.
Parts of Stairfoot and Monk Bretton have also been hit, including the old railway bridge at Stairfoot which was only repainted by volunteers, councillors and people on community payback this summer.
“I used to be a tearaway myself when I was a teen, carving my name into trees and things, but never anything to these sorts of extremes. It’s just unacceptable.”
Graffiti can be reported at the council’s website barnsley.gov.uk/tell-us-about-it/graffiti/ but if you see someone doing it, report it to police by calling 101.
