Landlords are being urged to take action against graffiti in a bid to clean the community.

Thurrock Council will write to private landowners whose property has been defaced by graffiti offering support as part of an effort to rid our streets of unsightly graffiti.

Landowners whose property has been defaced will receive letters advising them on the best way to report this criminal activity and asking them to remove graffiti as quickly as possible so it doesn’t encourage other vandals to target them.

A council scheme to remove graffiti from public land and property has previously paid dividends with independent inspections carried out by Keep Britain Tidy showing a reduction in the amount of graffiti in the borough.

However the most recent inspection, in the third quarter of 2018, found an increase in graffiti with much of it being identified as being on private land.

Although the council has every sympathy for landowners who fall victim to vandals, it must ask them to play their part in keeping the borough clean and tidy by tackling graffiti as it can contribute to making an area seem run down and neglected and create a poor impression for residents and visitors.

As an absolute last resort the council has the power to issue Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices compelling landowners to act but this will only be done when all other approaches have failed.

Thurrock Council would like to thank residents and businesses for their support in working with us to prevent this kind of anti-social behaviour and improve our neighbourhoods.