Anger at Rishton vandal's 'love note' graffiti (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Anger at Rishton vandal's 'love note' graffiti

4:26pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News

Paul Wilkinson from Rishton Prospects panel and the vandalised benches

A MYSTERY vandal just called to spray ‘I love you’ messages to his girlfriend – and has caused a costly clean-up.

Homes, benches, bins and trees between two towns have been marked with the message ‘Andy Loves Olivia Forever’. The vandalism begins in Spring Street, Rishton where homes have been marked with bright green stripes. The grafitti then continues down the canalside White Path on every bin and bench to Great Harwood.

Messages read: “Andy B for Olivia forever’ and ‘I love Olivia - Liv I love you’ in white mixed with designs in bright green. Residents and local volunteers are angry the words have covered benches, which cost £8,000 to install.

Homeowners in Spring Street were also upset to discover the damage to the front of their properties at the weekend. One resident said the green paint on her house’s sandblasted stonework would cost a fortune to remove.

Spring Street resident Maureen Shaw said: “I woke up on Saturday morning and when I saw the paint on the house, my heart sank. We have tried everything to get it off, even acetate, but it must be special paint, because nothing works. I dread to think how much it will cost to have done.”

Her elderly neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “The empty houses around here are bringing the kids in droves. They are always up to something. Even if I get the paint removed, they will just do it again.”

Local resident Paul Wilkinson belongs to Rishton’s Prospects Panel who raised £8,000 to have benches installed on the white path. He said: “In some places the graffiti is so thick, you cant see what the seat is made of. They are really well used, you can tell by the way the ground is worn away near the benches. Now someone has ruined them in one night. Prospects likes to go out and clear up the odd bit of grafitti, but this is beyond us. It goes right down to Great Harwood and they’ve done every bin and bench and quite a few trees”.

Coun Ken Moss said the council’s cleansing team were going to take care of it.