APPENDIX 22
Memorandum from Staffordshire County Council
I believe that fly posting and graffiti are
on the increase in Staffordshire, although no centralised records
are kept of graffiti incidents which are dealt with in respect
of defacing highway infrastructure or of unauthorised fly posters
attached to lamp columns and the like, so I am unable to supply
any quantitative data on this.
We are keen to deal with the removal of graffiti
from highway structures in a proactive manner, since graffiti
tends to act as a magnet for more graffiti. Anti-graffiti paint
is applied to problem sites but this does not address the root
of the problem.
The removal of fly posters from sign poles and
lamp columns is a labour intensive process and often has to wait
until routine maintenance work is carried out on the item in question,
when fly posters are removed at the same time.
The ends of plastic ties mounted at eye height
are a particular hazard to pedestrians, especially the partially-sighted.
Public awareness campaigns may alleviate the
situation. The introduction of fines and community service penalties
for those caught fly posting and defacing highway infrastructure
would help, but the effective enforcement of these measures would
be very difficult to achieve.
March 2004
| 
