A councillor is urging residents and fellow councillors to help his campaign to kick out the graffiti artists who are plaguing the area. Sandy town councillor Nigel Aldis says the long hot summer has seen a proliferation of colourful graffiti being splash

A councillor is urging residents and fellow councillors to help his campaign to kick out the graffiti artists who are plaguing the area.

Sandy town councillor Nigel Aldis says the long hot summer has seen a proliferation of colourful graffiti being splashed throughout the town.

Now he is determined to get tough on the artists and is also urging fellow councillors to back his clean up campaign.

Cllr Aldis, who lives in Mayfield Court in the town, is urging Sandy Town Council to change its graffiti clean up policy and clear up the mess from all properties, not just its own.

But at a recent meeting of the council, Cllr Aldis was given the thumbs down by fellow councillors when he appealed for a change in council policy.

I was not satisfied with the answer I received," said Cllr Aldis.

"The response that was there was not enough money in our council budget and we were not covered by insurance and it was not our responsibility.

"I thought they were weak excuses for not doing something about the problem."

But Cllr Aldis is determined not to let the matter rest and will bring it up again at the next planning and parks and open spaces committee which he chairs.

"I am not giving up," he added.

Areas that have been targeted during the past few months are the railway station and hoarding near the cycle track in front of Robert Peel Lower School in Dapifer Drive.

"It is a growing problem that has got worse over the past 12 months," said Cllr Aldis.

"We never had this problem in the past and I can only put it down to the influx of people from areas where this kind of thing is common.

"It is expensive to clean this mess up but the cost is worth it because it makes Sandy a better and cleaner place to live in.

"We have to change our policy so all the graffiti is cleaned up, not just on our property.

"We have two police community support officers in the town and hopefully they can do their best and to find those responsible for this mess.

"I am also appealing to anyone who knows who is responsible to contact either the police or the council.

"Over the summer there has been a spate of unsightly daubing on walls and fences. Graffiti is the first stage in a resident's fear of crime.

"Sandy has recently won silver gilt in the Anglia in Bloom competition but will not get gold next year if this problem is not tackled now.