VANDALS have left a trail of graffiti on the streets and daubed the wall of one resident s property. Richard Walter, who lives with his wife in Queens Road, Royston, went outside his house on Thursday morning to find bright lime green writing on the wall,

VANDALS have left a trail of graffiti on the streets and daubed the wall of one resident's property.

Richard Walter, who lives with his wife in Queens Road, Royston, went outside his house on Thursday morning to find bright lime green writing on the wall, on his van and in the street.

Mr Walter, who has lived in the house for more than 20 years, said: "I saw it when I got up this morning.

"I had to take my van in for a MoT and it had graffiti on the side, so I had to clean that off before I could take it.

"My first reaction when I saw it was anger.

"I re-painted the house wall only a couple of months ago."

A number of offensive, obscene words along with names and statements such as Da Men and Booze 4 Life were painted on with what appeared to be emulsion paint.

The graffiti was found on the road in Queens Road, Mill Road and Stamford Avenue.

Walls and fences have also been attacked in Mill Road and Queens Road.

Royston town councillor Craig Doel, who also lives in Mill Road, stopped in Queens Road on his way to work.

"Someone must have heard something; these people must have made some noise."

Mr Walter said: "It is quite childish, some graffiti is fun when it's done properly but this is not fun.

"We've had a little bit of graffiti once, but it was very small, nothing like the scale of this.

"Unfortunately, we didn't hear anyone last night."

Sgt Pete Frost, Royston community police officer, went to the scene after receiving a report about the graffiti outbreak.

He said: "I am disappointed that this has occurred overnight in Royston.

"The town normally enjoys a good quality of life and this type of mindless damage can have a detrimental effect on the local environment."

Police are now conducting an investigation into the incident.

Sgt Frost added: "I would urge anyone who witnessed this damage being caused to contact us."

He is also appealing for witnesses who saw anyone with green paint or a paint brush in unusual circumstances or have had the same stolen.

n To contact Royston police call 08453 300222 or Crimestoppers.

n Two weeks ago councillors on North Herts District Council's Royston area committee were discussing setting up a graffiti wall for youngsters.

They have ruled out having the wall erected in the Priory Memorial Gardens.

At the time, Cllr Liz Beardwell told the committee: "We don't seem to have a graffiti problem in Royston."

CROW COMMENT

THIS is one photograph The Crow can publish of a disgusting act of graffiti crime.

The pavement and the road in Mill Road and Stamford Avenue, Royston, were daubed with obscenities.

And the act appears to have been carried out for no reason whatsoever.

This was not just a case of graffiti daubing - it was a blatant act of criminal damage.

It is the kind of vandalism that we do not expect on our streets, and the culprits need to be arrested and convicted.

And it has to be a case where the culprits actually appear before magistrates, who MUST condemn such behaviour in the strongest way possible.

If the graffiti had not been so obscene and offensive, then it could have been left until those responsible were convicted - and made to clean it up.

But such was the nature of some of the daubings that it had to be cleaned from the road and pavement almost immediately.

It is, after all, Council Tax payers who are ultimately paying the bill for the cleaning-up operation.

And to attack a private residential property, too, in such a way, is beyond belief and comprehension.