A HERITAGE society is calling for tougher action to tackle graffiti after a video emerged of a vandal spraying a city centre wall.

The video, which was sent in anonymously to the Sussex Incidents Twitter page, shows a person spraying graffiti on a wall which appears to be near the Old Steine in Brighton.

A spokesman for the The Brighton Society,who campaign on social and aesthetic issues and town planning in the city, said: “This video sums up all the problems we have with graffiti.

“Often it’s done at night by people wearing hoodies and the speed at which they do it is very quick.

“It’s great that people are documenting graffiti taggers but it must be acted on.

“Videos like this need to be sent to the authorities immediately so they can act swiftly.

“Residents, the council and the police must work together to tackle graffiti as it is a big problem.”

Last month, the society took to the streets in Brighton and Hove to photograph cases of graffiti across the city, including vandalised shelters on the seafront and on buildings such as Brighton Dome.

The group produced their own video from inside one of the Grade II-listed bus shelters outside the Royal Pavilion in the Old Steine to show the damage caused by graffiti vandals, which they called “a disgrace”.

The Argus: A photo taken by the Brighton Society last month to highlight the problem of graffiti at bus shelters opposite the Royal PavilionA photo taken by the Brighton Society last month to highlight the problem of graffiti at bus shelters opposite the Royal Pavilion

The spokesman added: “We made the film to show the startling contrast between a beautiful listed building and the listed shelters in front of it.

“You could be waiting for a bus looking through a broken window at the Royal Pavilion – the contrast is shocking.

“I believe two of the shelters have now been cleaned, but what we are calling for is more action in terms of enforcement.

“The action cannot be a one-off clean-up – it has to be constant and targeted.

“There’s no point in cleaning it up if you don’t have strong enforcement in place.”

Brighton and Hove City Council have set up a graffiti hotline for residents to report anyone spraying graffiti on 01273 295 063, and environmental enforcement officers can issue £150 fixed penalty notices if vandals are caught in the act.

A council spokesman said: “Graffiti and tagging blights our city and it’s something we’re determined to tackle.

“We work closely with the police to catch these people and any help from the public is greatly appreciated.

“We do have strong enforcement in place, however, it’s often very difficult to catch or identify the people that graffiti our city, as much of their damage is done within seconds on darkened streets with their faces covered.”