GRAFFITI -BUSTERS are vowing to keep Christchurch clean of vandalism and say a new scheme for householders is taking off.

Twenty-six have taken advantage of the new council service launched last November to remove graffiti from homes free of charge.

When a householder contacts the council about graffiti on their home, Transclean Services arranges to visit the property to perform the clean-up operation as quickly as possible.

Simon Butler from Transclean said: "We try to remove every single trace of the graffiti so it looks as if it's never been there.

"I'm happy to say that so far we've never been beaten. Sometimes we find ourselves called out to the same place more than once, which can be disheartening.

"However, if we can get rid of it straight away, the offenders may think there's no point in continuing to paint the graffiti if it's just going to be removed quickly."

Cllr Colin Jamieson, portfolio holder for improving the environment, said: "Graffiti can have quite an impact on an area as it can go hand in hand with antisocial behaviour.

"We believe that by treating the outward evidence of this sort of behaviour as quickly as possible, we can have a positive impact within the community."