Thurrock Council will write to private landowners whose property has been defaced by graffiti, offering support.

Landowners whose property have been affected 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.

The council is urging landowners to play their part.

As a last resort the council has the power to issue community protection warnings and community protection notices compelling landowners to act if other approaches have failed.