Graffiti

Graffiti includes drawings, writing, marks or ‘tags’ painted, written or scratched onto surfaces. It can lead to further vandalism and littering, and reduce people’s pride in where they live. 

Removing graffiti requires specialist equipment and can be costly.

Penalties for graffiti

Graffiti is an environmental crime.

If you are caught doing graffiti:

• you may get an on-the-spot fine of £80
• you could be taken to court and face:
  • a fine of up to £2,500
  • a prison sentence

Graffiti we prioritise removing

We prioritise:

• graffiti in town centres
• offensive graffiti

Offensive graffiti

We consider graffiti to be offensive if it includes:

• racist or inflammatory language or images
• threats or attacks against individuals or groups
• swear words
• sexually explicit or obscene content

We aim to remove offensive graffiti as soon as possible. 

Report graffiti 

You can report graffiti online using our Love Clean Streets app and website. 

Start now

Graffiti we remove

We remove graffiti from council-owned property, including:

• lamp columns and streetlights
• traffic light poles and signal control boxes
• street name plates
• road signs and wayfinding signs
• guard rails and pedestrian barriers
• bollards
• salt and grit bins
• gully covers (owned by highways)
• litter bins
• park benches and picnic tables
• play equipment and skate ramps
• fencing and gates
• pavilions and shelters
• park signs and noticeboards
• seating areas
• public art, monuments and statues
• cycle stands
• retaining walls owned by the council
• subways and underpasses 

Graffiti on private property 

We do not remove graffiti from privately owned property.

You should contact the owner or managing organisation directly. Their details are usually shown on the asset (for example, a label, logo or helpline number).

Do not report these to the council

These are usually privately owned:

• homes, shops and business premises
• boundary walls and fences
• telecoms and utility cabinets (such as Openreach, Virgin Media, City Fibre)
• electricity substations
• Royal Mail post boxes and parcel lockers
• train stations and railway bridges
• advertising boards (such as Clear Channel or JCDecaux)
• bus shelters
• EV charging points (such as BP Pulse, Osprey, char.gy)  
• private ATMs  
• car park equipment (barriers, payment machines and signs) 

Apply for graffiti wipes

Street Champion volunteers can apply for graffiti wipes.

To apply:

• register as a Street Champion
• email champions@croydon.gov.uk