WEST Berkshire Council left a piece of graffiti depicting male genitalia up for three months after officers deemed it not offensive enough to remove.
After making several pleas to the district council to clean up a defaced bus shelter on School Hill, in Chaddleworth, which had been daubed with vulgar artwork in March, Chaddleworth Parish Council this week received a written response from the district council which said: “Unfortunately, as it is not classed as 'offensive' it does not take priority and is removed by the Probation Service as and when they carry out work in the area.
“They have a significant amount of non offensive graffiti to remove in the district and it was unfortunate that they did not get out to your village to remove the small amount you have on the last couple of occasions they have worked in West Berkshire.”
The district council finally relented after repeated requests from the parish council, and sent a private contractor to paint over the scene yesterday (Wednesday) morning.
Spokesman for West Berkshire Council Keith Ulyatt said: “There is no sliding scale of what is deemed offensive and what is not, but something that is racially offensive or sexually offensive does get prioritised and removed immediately.
“The incident in question was not seen as offensive at the time and was not prioritised.”

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=13634




What do you make of this?

Pictures fine but words not allowed?

Where do you draw the line (excuse the pun)?

How big was the picture of the genitalia?

No exaggerating, please.

It's hard for us non-Chaddleworthians to make a judgment whether it's offensive or not when the NWN doesn't publish a picture.

If graffiti appears does it get cleared up fairly quickly? Do you have any examples of "offensive" graffiti near you? If so take a pic and send it to me mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk

I've phoned the council twice to report the same piece of graffiti. On both occasions I was told that it "should be dealt with within a couple of weeks". Which it wasn't. Eventually I gave up (just like I gave up trying to get the council/Veolia to collect my recycling). This was around two years ago and the graffiti is still there.

Come on people....what bloke HASN'T drawn a **** and balls on something at some point in his life?!

Lets face it, even a throbbing 6ft **** ejaculating profanity scrawled in hot pink isn't going to kill anyone - particularly if painted on the side of a bus shelter in the ****hole of nowehere.

Anyone who finds scribblings on walls offensive hasn't got enough to worry about.

Personally, I'd rather the council were fixing potholes in roads and collecting our bins on time as priority.

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=13634




What do you make of this?

Pictures fine but words not allowed?

Where do you draw the line (excuse the pun)?

How big was the picture of the genitalia?

No exaggerating, please.

Like with everything, it starts off with simple doodles that get ignored. This sends out a message that people don't care, which then provokes anti social behaviour.

Isn’t there a law about graffiti?

Isn't it just called "criminal damage"?

I've phoned the council twice to report the same piece of graffiti. On both occasions I was told that it "should be dealt with within a couple of weeks". Which it wasn't. Eventually I gave up (just like I gave up trying to get the council/Veolia to collect my recycling). This was around two years ago and the graffiti is still there.

Hang on. It's been there two years and no one from the community has bothered to do anything about it bar phone the council? In fairness the council shouldn't have said they'd clean it up if what this person claims they said is correct but still. Two years and not one local person has taken a cloth and a bit of solvent to it.

In the brave new world of the Coalition I can see tasks like this being handed over to volunteer neighbourhood action groups and the like to save a few pennies. After all, cleaning off a willy, drawn on a bus shelter is hardly up there with safeguarding children and caring for the elderly.

the national trust have been keeping it up.

What with?

According to the person who reported it, it was a fairly prominent image





We are the eyes and ears of the public in certain situations but we rely on you guys to come to us with stuff like this too, a picture would have been helpful obviously but I was only informed of it the day it was cleared up.
Which leads me to my next question, what is the situation like in your area? If graffiti appears does it get cleared up fairly quickly? Do you have any examples of "offensive" graffiti near you? If so take a pic and send it to me mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk

This is a great example of an opportunity to utilize the untapped labour of those relctant to work in the area.
Before collecting their benefits they could be asked to help clean up the town.
But no , it would violate their human right to be bone idle.

Not sure if that would be entirely legal, forcing people to do a particular job. We used to do it 200 years ago, it was called slavery then and we still do it now but only to those who have committed a crime. As far as I know not working isn't a crime, yet.

The truth is it's everyone in the community's "job" to take pride in their surroundings and if no one has bothered to clean this up after two years then it's probably not that much of a problem. As I said previously I can see tasks like this being handed to volunteer neighbourhood action groups to save government a few pennies in the near future.

Yes, my post was a little "tongue in cheek".

Not sure if that would be entirely legal, forcing people to do a particular job. We used to do it 200 years ago, it was called slavery then and we still do it now but only to those who have committed a crime. As far as I know not working isn't a crime, yet.

The truth is it's everyone in the community's "job" to take pride in their surroundings and if no one has bothered to clean this up after two years then it's probably not that much of a problem. As I said previously I can see tasks like this being handed to volunteer neighbourhood action groups to save government a few pennies in the near future.

Just take a walk round town. Sainsbury underpass, Robin Hood underpass, Burger King underpass graffiti has been there well over 12 months. In the Bus Station there is not an inch of glass you can see through and most of the timetables have been defaced.

You are wrong. Apathy breeds contempt.

If they want to make that lifestyle choice, and have private means, that's fine by me. As long as they are not receiving any benefits.

To be honest I am more worried abouth physical attacks on people and the fact that a lot of young people today don't have any pride in working and expect everything to be handed to them.

I have a couple who live close to me. They are nice people. Don't get me wrong. They believe it is there right not too work and it is a 'lifestyle choice'. I did ask them what they would do if everyone had this attitude to which they replied 'people are really stupid for working'.

That is not what I meant. The Apathy on the part of the residents - ie by not spending 5 mins to paint over the 'offensive' graffitti...

Is it that easy though, and, are residents entitled to paint, or treat council, or other people's property?

It is not the responsibility of the citizen to clean up after yobs. That is down to the council. Also; if such graffiti is found and reported then it is the duty of the police to find out who the culprits are and act; i.e. make them either clean it up, or get them or their parents to pay for the cleanup.

What good would it have done if such a person had cleaned it up? Another yob would come along and do the same. Then what?

This is a great example of an opportunity to utilize the untapped labour of those relctant to work in the area.
Before collecting their benefits they could be asked to help clean up the town.
But no , it would violate their human right to be bone idle.

You are wrong. Apathy breeds contempt.

The trouble is apathy is all around us.

Whatever...

Isn't it a crime? They may not be able to make them 'clean up' (even though they should) but they can do them for the damage.

If it can be proven who the culprits were, rather than hearsay, then an order to cleanup could be made against either the perpatrators or if underage, the parents. But, I wouldn't want our police officers wasting their time on this type of thing unless it was more of a professional tagging going on and our property was being badly defaced. Actually, what is the difference between a graffiti artist and the artists who were painting the Bricklayers. That had to be far worse than a willy on a bus shelter. Get a life people.

Actually, what is the difference between a graffiti artist and the artists who were painting the Bricklayers. That had to be far worse than a willy on a bus shelter. Get a life people.

Is it that easy though, and, are residents entitled to paint, or treat council, or other people's property?

As GMR said, tolerating graffiti, is likely to be the thin end of the wedge. If one was trying to sell their house, I doubt many would be happy for their prospective buyers to pass a wall on the way to the house with graffiti splashed all over it. If your neighbour, meanwhile, painted their house in graffiti, I suspect one would get equally upset. Yet, this is the same principle.

So basically what you are say that they can continue regardless? I am sure the yobs will appreciate your green light attitude. The trouble is; out of little crimes bolder acts arise.