The three teenagers clearing up the graffiti in Sheerness

Dopey teenage vandals were tracked down by police - because they scrawled their NAMES in graffiti.

Officers on the Isle of Sheppey got reports of nuisance behaviour in an alleyway behind Coronation Road, Sheerness.

When they went to investigate, they found graffiti on a wall that included several names.

PCSO Terry Hanlon visited schools in the area and was able to identify those responsible.

It was then agreed between the school, PCSO Hanlon, their parents and the pupils - who are a 14-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl all from Sheerness - that they would clear it up instead of being officially reprimanded.

PCSO Hanlon said: "This is a great example of a community resolution, where we have dealt with a first offence in a positive way.

"The parents were happy for us to deal with the incident in this manner and it has made those involved - who have no previous record of offending – responsible for their actions, but at the same time left them with a clear understanding that people who commit criminal damage could face a police investigation and potentially a criminal record."