Let’s go to the wall to stop graffiti
They say what gets measured gets managed, but no one is documenting the volume of graffiti blighting our streets and degrading civilised society.. until now, writes Neil O’Brien I hate graffiti. I hate the way it makes places ugly and unsafe. I hate the middle class morons who think it is “creative” – but know [...]
Neil O'Brien argues that graffiti is an eyesore and a sign of urban decay, and that no one is keeping track of its prevalence. He cites a Freedom of Information request to London councils, revealing that the capital recorded nearly 100,000 instances of graffiti in 2025. This figure includes only the cleaned instances, as many councils refuse to disclose the total number.
Hackney leads the chart with 13,613 recorded cases, while ten councils recorded fewer than 1,000 cases, with Redbridge being the least impacted at just 244 instances. The enforcement of graffiti-related offenses has been minimal, with only 77 Fixed Penalty Notices issued in 2025, mostly by Southwark. This paltry number of penalties barely covers the costs of cleaning up the graffiti, let alone addressing the root of the problem.
O'Brien advocates for stricter penalties and more visible deterrents to curb the proliferation of graffiti, suggesting that public spaces can be improved and maintained through better law enforcement and community sentences.
Written by urgent.news from City AM's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
