VANDALS who have daubed graffiti on various town centre spots have been condemned as ‘disgraceful’.

Graffiti has been scrawled by yobs onto bus stops and buildings of businesses in towns including Blackburn and Rishton.

In Blackburn, graffiti with the words ‘Ozone’ has appeared on bus shelters in Eanam, as well as on the back of Morrisons in Salford and the old Thwaites building at the bottom of Barbara Castle Way.

While on High Street in Rishton, graffiti with the word ‘croes’ has been spotted on cash machines and the shutters of shops.

The word ‘Isor’ has also been scrawled onto other buildings in the town.

Some of the graffiti has appeared recently while others have been there for several months.

Blackburn with Darwen Council regeneration boss Cllr Phil Riley described the graffiti as disappointing.

He said: “We are doing everything we can as a council to revitalise the town centre and the graffiti does not help.

“It’s disappointing.

“We’ll remove it in due course.

Cllr Hussain Akhtar, who represents Shear Brow and Corporation Park on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “This is not acceptable and this kind of behaviour is not helping the town of which a lot of good work is being done.”

Cllr Miles Parkinson, leader of Hyndburn Council, said the graffiti was disgraceful .

He said: “The council will take steps to remove the graffiti if it’s on public buildings.

“But if it’s on private buildings we’ll be informing the property owners.

“It’s disgraceful and a shame that people are creating an anti-social nuisance.

“The graffiti spoils the area and it’s the last thing we need.

Cllr Parkinson said he hoped the police caught the perpetrators.

He added: “This graffiti will cost thousands of pounds to remove and makes the area look unsightly.

“No one wants that.

“I hope the police identify the marks to whichever person or gang has done this and take the relevant action.”

The manager of a shop in Rishton, who preferred not to be named, said: “We had graffiti scrawled on the shutters with the word ‘eyesore’ last year and it’s still there.

“A new word was scrawled a few weeks ago on the noticeboard saying ‘croes’.

“We just assumed it was local children.”