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Graffiti vandalism – a high price to pay
Graffiti vandalism is a serious and persistent problem in the UK, with attacks occurring on a daily basis across the country. Graffiti vandals are out to make their mark so no exterior surface is completely immune - walls, bridges, fences, pillars, windows, signposts, bus shelters and more are all considered fair game to them.
Types of graffiti
In larger cities rival gangs often use tags to mark their patch and there is often an element of one-upmanship involved. The more visible the location, and the more challenging the access, the greater the kudos to the perpetrator.
Tagging is the simplest graffiti style - a sort of graffiti signature or identifier, usually applied in a single colour. A throw-up (or throwie) is a more complex version of a tag which usually consists of bubble writing with a single colour outline and a different colour fill. A mural covers a whole wall, being more complicated and time-consuming, earns the perpetrator additional 'respect'.
the price to pay
It’s hard to get reliable, up to date figures relating to the costs associated with cleaning up graffiti in the UK but it has been estimated at well over £1 bn. London Underground alone spends around £2.5m per annum to clean up graffiti with an additional £10m spent on replacing glass that etched (scratched) with graffiti*. A study carried out in 2020 by Structural Repairs** included research into numbers of graffiti attacks recorded by councils in the UK and the six-figure sums spent by many of them getting the graffiti cleaned up - see table below.
Top ten councils with the highest number of graffiti attacks:
| Hackney | 29,236 |
| Leicester | 16,144 |
| Camden | 7,246 |
| Bristol | 6,322 |
| Greenwich | 5,774 |
| Glasgow | 5,642 |
| Oxford | 5,221 |
| Islington | 4,207 |
| Enfield | 2,915 |
| Westminster | 2,855 |
Top ten Councils with highest graffiti removal expenditure:
| Glasgow City | £649,914 |
| Hackney | £300,000 |
| Hounslow | £204,700 |
| Greenwich | £188,749 |
| Doncaster | £167,130 |
| Lewisham | £165,497 |
| Wandsworth | £164,158 |
| Leicester | £160,321 |
| Lambeth | £150,000 |
| Ealing | £145,000 |
OneFifty - experts in graffiti removal
OneFifty has developed particular expertise in removing graffiti. We offer a nationwide service and have, over the past ten years, removed literally thousands of tags, throw-ups and unwanted murals from different sites across the whole of the UK.
Whichever the media used, whatever the surface and wherever the attack has occured, our team can access and remove the graffiti safely, effectively and cost-efficiently.
Graffiti Assist
If you are the victim of repeat graffiti attacks, it may feel like you are fighting a losing battle. OneFifty's Graffiti Assist service has been specifically developed to help keep buildings that are particularly prone to attack graffiti-free.
As part of the service we will regularly check your buildings and immediately remove any graffiti that has appeared - rapid removal of graffiti is critical to helping prevent copycat attacks. We also apply an anti-graffiti coating to help protect the surface and minimise potential damage. This also makes it easy to remove the graffiti in the case of an attack. Below are just a few examples of projects we have worked on.
To find out more about Graffiti Assist, or graffiti removal please contact Max or Andy on 0333 234 1445 or email your enquiry and we will get back to you.
*https://www.penningtonslaw.com/news-publications/latest-news/graffiti-clean-up-cost-orwindfall ** https://www.cleaning-matters.co.uk/graffiti-removal-costs-uk
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