Graffiti removal

As a part of our aim to make our Borough safe, green and clean we are committed to reducing and removing graffiti.

Graffiti is a criminal offence. If you are a victim of graffiti or witness an act of graffiti please report it to the Police. It is estimated that there are over 3,600 graffiti incidents each year in the Borough.

Our Street Scene Enforcement Team work closely with the Police to share information about graffiti offenders in the Borough of Richmond. When graffiti is reported to our Street Scene Enforcement Team, or observed during daily patrols of the Borough, one of our Officers will photograph the graffiti and get in touch with the Police to try and catch the offenders. The Street Scene Enforcement Team also have good working partnerships with Royal Mail and BT.

What we will do:

  • We remove graffiti from private properties and from small businesses (less than 9 staff nationally), free of charge.
  • We will remove graffiti from large business (more than 9 staff nationally) on request for an annual fee of £120 or if you prefer provide you with a one off removal fee.
  • We will remove graffiti where we have permission, as long as it is accessible and not higher than 3 metres (it may not be safe for our staff to remove it above this height).
  • We will remove all graffiti where we have permission to do so, within 5 working days.
  • We will remove racist or offensive graffiti within 1 working day of notification.
  • We will make every effort to prosecute caught offenders.
  • We will prosecute any shop owner selling aerosol spray cans to underage children.
  • We will promote the non-sale of aerosols within the Borough through our Trading Standards Team.
  • We will inform landowners such as Network Rail and South West Trains when there is graffiti on their property.
  • Our contractor will remove graffiti using either a high pressure machine which uses specialised chemicals or paint it out.
  • We will ensure that if you contact us we respond to you within the Council's Customer Service Standards

What we would ask of you

After reporting the graffiti to the Police, if you would like the Council to remove the graffiti please contact us and let us know any details of the offender

Removing graffiti from private property

Please note the Council cannot remove graffiti from any private property without first having received the appropriate graffiti removal request form.

Please download the appropriate form and return to the address at the bottom of the form.

Graffiti enforcement

Our Street Scene Enforcement Team try to work together with residents and businesses within the Borough to ensure the swift removal of graffiti. In some circumstances, enforcement action may become necessary. This is action the Street Scene Enforcement Team try to avoid and is usually used as a last resort.

If graffiti is not removed despite the offer of assistance and after request, the Street Scene Enforcement Team may take enforcement action. This will usually involve serving a notice on the owner/occupier of the property where the graffiti is located, requiring the removal of the graffiti within a specified period. If the notice is not complied with, the Council’s contractor will remove the graffiti and recover the costs from the occupier or owner of the property.

See information on our graffiti removal performance.