Some years ago, Transport for London workers removed a Banksy piece of graffiti from a wall near Old Street Station. They were unaware of its provenance. But while the occasional piece of graffiti can be considered attractive street art, most is undesirable and unsightly.

The Anti Social Behaviour Act of 2003 defines graffiti as ‘painting, writing, soiling, marking or other defacing by whatever means’.

At Streetwise we offer a graffiti removal service for all council and public owned properties, including street furniture, utility boxes, bus shelters, post boxes and telephone boxes. We encounter many different styles, the most frequently occurring being the ‘Tag’, a representation of the artist’s name used to gain recognition by being seen in a variety of locations. It’s estimated that around 85% of graffiti is tags. It’s very unusual in this area to come across graffiti that could be considered to have artistic merit.

The removal of graffiti that’s detrimental to the environment is free of charge to residents, although if the graffiti is on private property away from public view there may be charge for removal. Our graffiti removal team is kept busy being called out around twice a week in the Nottingham area.

We like to react as quickly as possible, especially if it’s of an offensive nature. Most graffiti is removed within 48 hours, but we’ll aim to get to the worst examples within 24 hours. It’s generally believed that the faster graffiti is removed, the less likely it is for more graffiti to appear in the same area.

The main challenge of graffiti removal is to remove the unwanted without harming delicate surfaces or leaving marks or shadowing. On larger pieces we use our state of the art specialised machines that produce high pressure water jets and remove the graffiti gently and efficiently without doing any damage.

Smaller pieces of graffiti on hard non-porous surfaces such as plastic, glass, metal and painted surfaces can be removed quickly and efficiently by hand using wipes impregnated with chemicals that penetrate and dissolve the hard surface coating of agents like paint and permanent markers.

The stubbornness of graffiti depends on the agent that’s been used, the surface it’s been applied to, and how long it’s been there. There’s not much that defeats us, but we do have a great armoury of specialist materials at our disposal.

Shiny surfaces such as polished brick, metal, glass, tiles and street furniture such as signs and lamp posts are the easiest to work with. If the graffiti are newly applied, if they’re not too large and within easy reach, a DIY approach can work well. A kitchen scouring pad, some household detergent, and plenty of elbow grease and determination can produce a good result.

Painted surfaces such as walls and fences can simply be painted over again, although several coats may be needed to stop the graffiti ‘bleeding’ through.

The most difficult surfaces to remove graffiti from are the porous ones such as concrete and brick which allow the paint to penetrate deeply into the material. The sooner you can call us out to help on these occasions, the easier the job will be.

Robert Alderton

Operations Director, Streetwise Environmental

You can reach our graffiti removal team by telephone: 0115 914 8374 or e-mail: ralderton@streetwiseenvironmental.co.uk

Welcome to the first of our monthly features, packed with useful tips on what you could be doing in the garden in the month ahead, whether you are an experienced gardener or a complete beginner.

Perhaps the busiest gardening month is over, but there are still plenty of jobs to be done in June.

Flowers/Shrubs

• Cut back foliage of spring bulbs
• Take softwood cuttings of deciduous and evergreen shrubs such laurel, camellia, hydrangea, lavender and rosemary
• Prune spring flowering deciduous shrubs, such as Philadelphus, removing one in every four old stems at ground level

Greenhouse

• Shade and ventilate the greenhouse
• Keep greenhouse damp to reduce problems with red spider mite
• Remove side shoots from tomatoes as and when they appear

Ornamental Ponds

• New life now is developing and water lilies are breaking through ready to show off their glorious flowers in July
• Remove all floating debris.
• Ensure heron proof netting is in order
• Treat ponds with pond weed chemicals, making sure you stick to the recommended doses
• Check on a weekly basis all filters and fountains

Lawns

• Apply a high nitrogen feed to lawns
• Mow lawns regularly but try to leave an area uncut for the insects
• Gradually reduce the height of the mowing cut, but remember the higher the cut the more the lawns will be draught resistant during the summer months
• Regularly use edging shears each time you mow to ensure a clean line that will show off the lawns

Fruit and Vegetables

• Sow herbs, such as basil, every two to four weeks
• Plant out courgettes, runner beans, dwarf beans and sweet corn
• Tie in new raspberry canes
• Lay horticultural fleece or insect proof mesh over carrots, to prevent carrot fly

General Jobs

• Make sure newly planted trees and shrubs are kept well-watered, especially those in pots
• It is essential to keep on top off weed removal, 15 minutes a day in a specified area will make all the difference

Rachel Cameron, Cityscape Greening