Graffiti targeted action zones

We’re carrying out a year-long programme of ‘targeted action zones’ tackling problem graffiti across the city.

The targeted actions zones focus on high footfall areas. They involve co-ordinated activity of graffiti removal from council property. There will also be engagement with businesses about problem graffiti on commercial property.

Cityclean staff will focus on each area for 2 weeks. They will remove graffiti from publically-owned bins, benches and street signs. Environmental Enforcement officers will be supporting them, inspecting each area.

We’ll be writing to commercial property owners in the areas ahead of the action. We will ask them to remove any graffiti from their property to support efforts.  

If they find graffiti on commercial property, Environmental Enforcement Officers will issue Community Protection Warnings to the owners. This is in line with our Environmental Enforcement Framework and the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The next areas we’ll be focussing on are: 

  • Queen's Road from 27 March 
  • North Street from 10 April 
  • North Road from 24 April  
  • Church Street from 8 May 
  • Seafront East from 22 May 

We have scheduled other city centre areas within the next year. We’ll publish details of those closer to the time.

Community Protection Warnings

We’ve introduced Community Protection Warnings and Notices to help tackle graffiti. We can issue them to owners of commercial buildings and street furniture.  

This allows us to work with owners to advise, monitor and set timescales. That way, we can target and quickly remove incidents of graffiti around the city.

The process is:

  1. We send property owners a Community Protection Warning, with a timescale to remove graffiti.
  2. If the owner does not take action we will serve them with a Community Protection Notice. This sets a specific date by which they are legally obliged to remove the graffiti.  
  3. If the owner then continues to ignore the Notice, we will impose fixed penalty notices. In some cases this may lead to prosecution.

Community Protection Warnings and Notices include a timescale of 7, 14 or 28 days. This is to ensure the owner removes the graffiti promptly. The timescale is dependent on:

  • size of graffiti
  • height of placement
  • whether the removal requires specialist equipment

The scheme has worked well so far, and we have had positive feedback from residents. We have provided enforcement against a few businesses for failing to remove graffiti.

Homeowners, charities and community run facilities are exempt from the scheme.

For more information on graffiti, visit our what to do about graffiti page.