Graffiti

Graffiti is words, drawings or "tags" that are written, painted, sprayed or scratched on the surface of any property.

Graffiti vandalism is against the law, a cost to you and your neighbours and a drain on the services provided by South Tyneside Council.

The Council has zero-tolerance to graffiti vandalism and is launching measures to raise awareness and take action against offenders.

We ask for your help to crackdown on this anti-social behaviour by reporting graffiti if you see it and to stop it spreading to your home.

We are committed to dealing with this problem.

To raise awareness and to help reduce the amount of graffiti in your area, we have carried out a number of activities including:

• Carried out promotional activity - this has included producing posters to encourage residents to take responsibility and report incidents
• Delivered leaflets - to properties in South Tyneside in areas most targeted by graffiti
• Removing graffiti - The Council is responsible for removing graffiti on property it owns

Before you take action, make sure it's safe to do so - remember if someone is graffitiing they are unlikely to welcome people observing them or taking notes.

Please be as descriptive as possible about the graffiti and where it is.

Location

• Location - for example what's the street, town, grid reference, and is it near a certain landmark?
• What is the graffiti on. Is it on a private or council house, is it a business property or bench?
• Is the graffiti high up / out of reach?

Description

• A general description of the graffiti, such as size
• Is the graffiti racist, political, or offensive?

If you saw someone graffitiing

• Who was with you?
• Who did you see?
• How many people did you see?
• Did you recognise any of them?
• Can you describe them, for example gender, hair colour, distinguishing features?

All information will be treated as confidential.

We aim to remove graffiti as soon as possible, prioritising offensive graffiti.

Those caught causing this type of vandalism can be prosecuted under the Criminal Damage Act 1971. Those found guilty can be fined and Young Offenders may be given a Community Service Order.

You can report graffiti anonymously online. Please be as descriptive as possible about the graffiti and where it is.

Report graffiti online

Other ways to report graffiti

• Call South Tyneside Council on 0191 427 7000
• Report it to the police by calling 101 

Requests made outside of normal working hours are dealt with by our out of hours team.

If you need help with graffiti removal from private property / land, you can contact us to discuss your requirements. 

There will be a charge for any service provided involving private property / land.