TWO teenages have been given what police describe as final warnings after walls across a Kent town were damaged with graffiti.

A police dog handler in his car spotted the boys skateboarding under a bridge of the Thanet Way in Radfall Road, Chestfield, near Whitstable, on Sunday, May 20.

He stopped and spoke to them and also saw a graffiti stencil, craft knives and a can of spray paint.

Graffiti, about eight feet high, was found nearby and also on a bridge pillar. The boys, one aged 14 and the other 15, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

The 15-year-old alkso admitted being responsible for other graffiti in Radfall Road earlier this month, in toilets on Whitstable seafront in April, behind the swimming pool in Whitstable between April and May and in Reeves Yard between April and May.

As well as being issued with final warnings the boys’ details have been passed on to property owners in case they wish to recover the cost of cleaning off the graffiti.

Sgt Dave Brenchley, of the coastal neighbourhood police team said: “Graffiti is a nuisance for owners of property who are then be faced with cleaning it off. It also affects the local community by causing an eyesore and a mess. Thanks to the officer who spotted these two we have been able to warn these boys about their actions.

"Whatever their motivation, our message is clear: graffiti will not be tolerated and we will take action where we have the evidence to do so.”

* A final warning is a formal verbal warning given by a police officer to a young person who admits their guilt for a first or second offence. The young person is also assessed to determine the causes of their offending behaviour and a programme of activities is identified to address them. The final warning system is part of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act.