Britain's official guide to canals, rivers and lakes

Wednesday 9th July 2008

BW London tackling vandalism on the towpath

21st May 2008

British Waterways and Islington Council's Graffiti Response Team are joining forces to clean up graffiti on the towpath of the Regent's Canal and are using some unlikely substances to help them tackle the vandalism on the waterways.

Ann Costan, waterway operative Regent’s Canal, Leon Meredith, Graffiti Response Team, Islington Council, The Mayor of Islington, Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk

The graffiti removal is taking place today (Wednesday 21 May) and tomorrow as part of the Capital Clean-up campaign - a 100 day series of clean-up activities across London.

Ensure historic brickwork is not damaged

The Graffiti Response Team will be using a combination of orange juice and milk-based liquids to remove the paint daubed onto the waterside walls by graffiti vandals. These environmentally friendly products are used to ensure that the historic brickwork along the towpaths, and the habitats of the many plants and animals that live in and around the water are in no way damaged during the clean-up operation. High pressure water jets, along with scrubbing brushes and elbow grease will be used to complete the graffiti removal task.

The team from Islington Council, will get on-board British Waterways' workboat The Pride of London, to undertake the cleaning process. Being on the water will help the team get to some of the more difficult to reach paint work that has been sprayed on to buildings and structures along the canalside from the York Way Road Bridge to the Islington Tunnel.

Cleaning up the towpaths

Jamey France, operations supervisor, British Waterways London says: "Graffiti and litter along the towpath can really affect people’s perceptions of an area. The waterways are a green corridor through the capital and are a wonderful place to discover the environment on your doorstep. Unfortunately a small minority of people litter and graffiti these historic routes, but working together with Islington Council, we are cleaning up the towpaths so local residents can continue to enjoy the waterways."

Leon Meredith, Environmental Crime Manager, Islington Council, added: "We have been listening to residents’ concerns, and the clean-up will help to improve the local environment. As well as making the area look better, we will be able to take samples of the paints used in the graffiti tags to help the police in their work to identify and prosecute the offenders who are damaging property along the Regent's Canal."

The partnership working between Islington Council and British Waterways is set to continue, with both organisations keen to ensure that the waterways are kept clean and safe for residents to enjoy.