Expectations of graffiti being removed when reported

[duesselmartin]

I wonder if this problem is a cultural one that came with immigration? Many people (including myself) come from countries were graffitti is the norm while in the UK and Ireland it was the exception. The tide seems to be turning.

 

[slowroad]

I love Banksy.

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for admitting it but I rather enjoy 'clever' graffiti. It can be both artistic and amusing.

Totally disagree. Banksy’s work is sentimental and cliched.

And doing graffiti is effectively a statement that the perpetrator thinks they have the right to despoil the property of others, including the public. It contributes to an atmosphere of neglect, decay, and lawlessness.

 

[Turtle]

Totally disagree. Banksy’s work is sentimental and cliched.

And doing graffiti is effectively a statement that the perpetrator thinks they have the right to despoil the property of others, including the public. It contributes to an atmosphere of neglect, decay, and lawlessness.

Absolutely spot on.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Mar 2026 ==

I wonder if this problem is a cultural one that came with immigration? Many people (including myself) come from countries were graffitti is the norm while in the UK and Ireland it was the exception. The tide seems to be turning.

I very much doubt it. From memory it seems to have closely followed the introduction of felt tip pens and spray paint cans. Prior to that most graffiti was scratches, pencils and ink.

 

[Iskra]

Totally disagree. Banksy’s work is sentimental and cliched.

And doing graffiti is effectively a statement that the perpetrator thinks they have the right to despoil the property of others, including the public. It contributes to an atmosphere of neglect, decay, and lawlessness.

Or it enhances and adds colour to otherwise dull environs devoid of character.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison and all that…

 

[Skiddaw]

Well, I said I'd probably be shot down!

 

[Titfield]

Why though? our entire infrastructure is covered by mindless graffiti, walk down many high streets or visit shopping centres and you'll find the same vandalism wherever you go, there's only one answer and that's to catch the scum and make them pay the full cost of removing their brainless scrawling

Local councils cant make up their minds whether they want graffiti or not. Some positively welcome it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

1 week Graffiti cleaning for first offence, 6 months for second and five years for third, similar sentences should also be dished out to fly tippers.

Who can recall the custodial sentence handed down to "TOX" ( I think that was his particular "tag") some years ago, who was well out of his teens at that time.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Agreed, when it’s witty or particularly artistic as seen on many wagons, it makes them more interesting and engaging.

I did however have to report a particularly disturbing piece of graffiti on a bridge in Castleford, and I was very impressed by the response from Network Rail who promptly sorted it out.

The vandalism often obliterates safety-relevant instructions...

 

[Iskra]

The vandalism often obliterates safety-relevant instructions...

Just look at the next wagon in the rake

 

[xdbjacx]

I love Banksy.

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for admitting it but I rather enjoy 'clever' graffiti. It can be both artistic and amusing.

Banksy makes people talk. The output (or wanton vandalism if you prefer) has some kind of story to tell. Opinion will naturally be divided, and often on political lines. TikTok tagging doesn’t do that. Neither does flytipping.

I am not condoning any kind of criminal damage, but to treat these three things as entirely equivalent doesn’t make any sense to me.

 

[Segedunum]

From experience when I worked at one operator, the guidance was if it was in a public area (on a platform wall for example) then it would be treated as a priority. On tunnel walls or in non-public areas it was lower down the pecking order, so long as it was non-offensive and not obscuring any safety critical signage/equipment.

On trains, they would be immediately removed from service if graffiti was offensive or obscuring door buttons/windows. Otherwise it'd be dealt with as soon as possible when the train was returned to the depot at the end of service.

 

[deltic]

Travelling on the Central Line yesterday I was surprised to see two consecutive trains with a number of carriages almost completely covered externally in graffiti - we seem to be spoilt on the Northern line where I have not noticed any internal or external issues.

 

[adc82140]

There was an interesting exchange on our village Facebook group in France. There was an outbreak of tagging in our very small rural village. The same tag in multiple locations. What was unusual is that the person responsible joined the conversation. He said the walls were "boring". He just didn't get that it was vandalism, and there was a sort of arrogance that assumed that everyone enjoyed his childish scribbling.

Of course posting that on FB wasn't a good idea, and the Gendarmes came round and confiscated his crayons, with a warning that he would be evicted from his (rather nice) social housing if there was a repeat.

 

[sh24]

I wonder if this problem is a cultural one that came with immigration? Many people (including myself) come from countries were graffitti is the norm while in the UK and Ireland it was the exception. The tide seems to be turning.

Graffiti was big in the late 80's, which is well before any of the large recent waves of immigration into the UK. It was mostly inspired by images of 70's New York IIRC.

 

[contrex]

....or indeed Italy - where, of course, graffiti was invented!

Si - un graffito, due o più graffiti - but Brits seem as happy with 'a graffiti' as they are with 'a panini'. I've not actually heard 'a' ravioli or gnocchi yet.

 

[Haywain]

I've not actually heard 'a' ravioli or gnocchi yet.

You should watch recent editions of Masterchef: The Professionals - Marcus Waring has been all over the place with ravioli/raviolo.

 

[BrummieBobby]

Edited

 

[Pigeon]

I love Banksy.

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for admitting it but I rather enjoy 'clever' graffiti. It can be both artistic and amusing.

Agreed, when it's witty or particularly artistic as seen on many wagons, it makes them more interesting and engaging.

I agree also.

Planners and architects and the like seem to think they have a right to surround us with endless sterile expanses of prison-like concrete, brick and tarmac in which we are sequestered and regimented like rats in a maze, and expect us to actually prefer the machine-made deadness of such a hard and unfriendly environment (supported by people inexplicably opining that "it's dead and blank and boring therefore it is imperative for it to stay like that and anyone trying to change it should be shot"). It cries out for something like people with brightly-coloured spray cans to come along and at least partially reclaim it by injecting a bit of humanity.

All too often, also, the monotony is "officially broken" by a screaming procession of displays of lies, propaganda and psychological manipulation, deliberately intended to mess with people's heads so they spend money unnecessarily and/or vote for the Nazis. This, with its designedly evil intent, is more offensive than even the most lavatorial of graffiti, and anything which subverts it, alters it to make it more honest, or even merely obscures it is to be encouraged.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Graffiti was big in the late 80's, which is well before any of the large recent waves of immigration into the UK. It was mostly inspired by images of 70's New York IIRC.

I recollect that at the time of the overthrow of the Shah of Iran there was an outbreak of graffiti in Farsi around London which seemed to then trigger or inspire graffiti in the form of convoluted initials of the kind that is now familiar.

 

[slowroad]

I agree also.

Planners and architects and the like seem to think they have a right to surround us with endless sterile expanses of prison-like concrete, brick and tarmac in which we are sequestered and regimented like rats in a maze, and expect us to actually prefer the machine-made deadness of such a hard and unfriendly environment (supported by people inexplicably opining that "it's dead and blank and boring therefore it is imperative for it to stay like that and anyone trying to change it should be shot"). It cries out for something like people with brightly-coloured spray cans to come along and at least partially reclaim it by injecting a bit of humanity.

All too often, also, the monotony is "officially broken" by a screaming procession of displays of lies, propaganda and psychological manipulation, deliberately intended to mess with people's heads so they spend money unnecessarily and/or vote for the Nazis. This, with its designedly evil intent, is more offensive than even the most lavatorial of graffiti, and anything which subverts it, alters it to make it more honest, or even merely obscures it is to be encouraged.

Well, everyone has a right to their own opinion. But they don’t have a right to break the law, even if they are convinced that they have especially acute insight into the failures of contemporary society. Perhaps especially then, for the belief that one has superior moral insight that permits one to ignore laws established through democratic processes leads to chaos.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Well, everyone has a right to their own opinion. But they don’t have a right to break the law, even if they are convinced that they have especially acute insight into the failures of contemporary society. Perhaps especially then, for the belief that one has superior moral insight that permits one to ignore laws established through democratic processes leads to chaos.

In terms of the Law of the Land, how is "superior moral judgement" viewed as a legal term?

 

[JamesT]

In terms of the Law of the Land, how is "superior moral judgement" viewed as a legal term?

In the past, climate protestors have managed to successfully argue their way out of criminal damage charges by arguing that the owners of the property would agree with their motives. I suspect the graffiti artists would fail to articulate anything so high-minded.

 

[londonbridge]

Credit where credits due, went to work and found the bus stop shelter covered in fresh graffiti, reported it on TfL streetcare, it was cleaned off within two days.

 

[Deepgreen]

The method of operation of the train isn't relevant.

What's needed is a visible staff presence; this is not only possible by having a traditional Guard, but can also be achieved by having a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) on ScotRail, Customer Experience Ambassador on Lumo, On Board Manager (OBM) on Southeastern High Speed, On Board Supervisor (OBS) on GTR Southern, etc.

Indeed you are more likely to see a visible staff presence on such trains than on TPE services, and even some Northern services on an evening or if you are in the front set of a non-gangway train.

I'm also not aware that London Overground has a graffiti problem on its trains, despite all their trains being DOO, which is perhaps due to the stations all being well staffed.

But, for sure, running a railway with no visible staff presence on trains or stations (regardless of whether such staff do exist or not) is a very bad idea, regardless of how the trains are operated.

It is relevant if a guard is present and works from various doors of the train - thus providing a visible presence.

 

[JamesT]

It is relevant if a guard is present and works from various doors of the train - thus providing a visible presence.

But as @yorkie pointed out in the rest of his post, you frequently get trains with guards where there isn't a visible presence because they're hiding in the cab, and conversely DOO trains where there is because there is a member of staff whose duties require them to be in the carriage.

 

[MoominAndChips]

Who can recall the custodial sentence handed down to "TOX" ( I think that was his particular "tag") some years ago, who was well out of his teens at that time.

He's still at it, if 10:15 in this video is anything to go by... Maybe he got scared off the railway?

 

[yorkie]

It is relevant if a guard is present and works from various doors of the train - thus providing a visible presence.

You misunderstand, please re-read what I said, which is that the method of operation of the train isn't directly relevant. What matters is if there is a visible staff presence, which is a separate matter.

But as @yorkie pointed out in the rest of his post, you frequently get trains with guards where there isn't a visible presence because they're hiding in the cab, and conversely DOO trains where there is because there is a member of staff whose duties require them to be in the carriage.

Exactly this. And, additionally, I also brought up Northern + TPE front portions, because you could have the most proactive Guard on the network and you'd still not see anyone in the front portion of a 2x195, 2x185 etc.

 

[Krokodil]

Belgium

Every time that I travel through Belgium I play a game to see how long it takes to spot an SNCB train without any graffiti. It's usually a challenge.

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for admitting it but I rather enjoy 'clever' graffiti. It can be both artistic and amusing.

I did see in Liège this unit with a fishy mural. I did consider it an improvement on the usual mindless tagging.

[Pictures of Belgian train with fish mural]

However I'm also minded that if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. If Banksy is allowed then why not political slogans? If slogans are allowed then why not tags? In North Wales there have been a number of collaborations between BTP and the local schools to paint murals in shelters, therefore making that shelter less of an appealing target than bare concrete was.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Just look at the next wagon in the rake

I travelled by train yesterday for the first time since your post so unable to give first hand examples until now. The first freight train I saw was 6E68 March - Tunstead. As seems to be normal now every wagon was comprehensively covered in graffiti so your suggestion wouldn't work.
Neither would looking at the next wagon - if that wasn't vandalised - help with the wagon number or carknd of the vandalised one. Think of someone checking the consist. Or knowing which way to revolve the brake handle to apply or release the brakes, on some wagons that's opposite direction on opposite sides, one cross-shaft.

 

[Iskra]

I travelled by train yesterday for the first time since your post so unable to give first hand examples until now. The first freight train I saw was 6E68 March - Tunstead. As seems to be normal now every wagon was comprehensively covered in graffiti so your suggestion wouldn't work.
Neither would looking at the next wagon - if that wasn't vandalised - help with the wagon number or carknd of the vandalised one. Think of someone checking the consist. Or knowing which way to revolve the brake handle to apply or release the brakes, on some wagons that's opposite direction on opposite sides, one cross-shaft.

You must be very unlucky, or perhaps it’s a bigger problem down South? I’ve seen multiple freight trains today and barely noticed a wagon with any obstructive art on it. See my latest YouTube video as evidence.