Vandals who use Folkestone as a 'colouring book for their bad drawings' have been condemned by the residents, councillors and the district council.

It follows reports that graffiti is on the rise in the seaside town, with one councillor claiming they've never seen it 'as bad' as it is now.

Peter Phillips, manager of the Folkestone Town Sprucer project, which helps keep the town clean, says he has seen an increase in the amount of graffiti during lockdown.

He added: "I had a lady call me in tears because she had her wall tagged."

Mr Phillips and his volunteers painted over the markings.

The issue of 'tagging' is also a concern, with the same signatures sprayed throughout town.

Town councillor Mary Lawes says Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) need to do more to remove the graffiti.

She said: "I’ve never seen graffiti and tags so bad as it is now.

"FHDC have not been removing graffiti or tags from a large area of Folkestone.

"The town centre, East Folkestone and Harbour Way are not being cleaned. Almost all cleaning has stopped. These three areas are in a terrible state.

"I was told that the council does not clear graffiti or tags off private buildings, the green style phone junction boxes and other areas."

One frustrated resident has also taken to Twitter to re-brand Folkestone to 'Folkslum' on account of its graffiti problem.

The anonymous user said: "Folkestone has become a shanty town with its massive rise in graffiti.

"It's disgusting and the town is going down hill fast.

"Graffiti means vandalism, it means crime, it brings house prices down.

"You wouldn't write on your walls at home, so why write over the walls outside. Some of which are private property.

"I wouldn't even mind if it was artwork, but there are just lots of tags.

"When I see it, it brings my mood down."

To help clear some of the vandalism, Cllr Lawes provided Mr Phillips and his team with paint, rollers and brushes at the end of last week.

They have volunteered to help cover up some of the marks.

But Folkestone council says it has removed more than 4,500 pieces of graffiti in the last year. It is also working with police to catch the vandals.

Cllr Jenny Hollingsbee, deputy leader and cabinet member for communities at the council, said: "It’s disappointing that some people feel they can use the town as a colouring book for their bad drawings.

"Unfortunately this isn’t an issue exclusive to our district.

“We have been working hard to deal with the situation - over 4,500 pieces of graffiti have been cleaned up across the district by our area officers in the last 12 months.

"Of course, they would rather be doing much more useful things for our residents than scrubbing paint off walls.

"That is why we have been working closely with the police to investigate and catch these anti-social offenders.

"Reporting graffiti directly to the council via our website can help it to be cleared up quicker, as well as help us gather intelligence in preventing more incidents happening in the future."

"While we respect everyone has their right to an opinion, we feel this anonymous Twitter account is wide of the mark when using terms such as ‘shanty town’ and ‘slum’."

To report graffiti in the Folkestone district, visit folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/report-a-problem.

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