Vandals have ripped down a mural designed to discourage graffiti in a grotty underpass.

The decorative vinyl cover was displayed in Birdcage Walk, which leads to Hales Place in Canterbury, at a cost of £5,300.

The city council teamed up with KCC to install the protective covering just a year ago, and is now considering repeating the expense to replace it after it was torn to shreds.

But the vandals didn’t stop at destroying the sign intended to deter them from their illegal activities. They also added a message directly addressing the council.

The tag left next to the tattered remains of the graffiti barrier politely read: “Fix the drains please.”

Almost 10,000 incidents of graffiti, which the council claims is often a starting point for crime and associated with gang culture, have been cleaned up in Canterbury over the past year.

Other measures have also been put in place including vinyl coverings such as the one destroyed in Birdcage Walk and a reward scheme branded a waste of time after it was revealed it had been awarded just once.

Anyone caught causing damage costing over £5,000 can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to ten years.

Canterbury City Council spokesman Leo Whitlock said: “It is infuriating and deeply disappointing that vandals have deliberately gone out of their way to destroy our efforts to make this underpass more pleasant for the people that use it day in and day out.

“We condemn their actions in the strongest possible terms especially as, yet again, the council taxpayer will eventually have to foot the bill.

“Please report graffiti as soon as you spot it by visiting canterbury.gov.uk/graffiti.”

The council spokesman also responded to the vandal's comment, clarifying that drains are the responsibility of KCC.