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27 January, 2025

Graffiti removal spruces up the Royal Esplanade in Ramsgate

Thanet District Council’s graffiti cleansing team rounded off 2024 with the thorough removal of unsightly graffiti from the iconic arches on the Royal Esplanade in Ramsgate. 

The clean up was carried out in response to local residents’ concerns that the graffiti was spoiling the look of the area, along one of the main routes into the town.

The council is committed to keeping Thanet a clean, safe place to live, work and visit. This commitment includes significantly reducing the amount of illegal graffiti and tagging on buildings across the district. The council’s dedicated graffiti removal team removes or paints over graffiti on council-owned property, often in response to reports from local people. When a new report is received, the team aims to remove offensive graffiti within one working day and non-offensive graffiti as soon as possible, but within one month.

During 2024, the team removed 162 instances of reported graffiti, and in 2025, is determined to increase this figure.

As well as responding to reports from members of the public, the team regularly visits known hotspots, including children’s play areas. Later this year, work will start to clean up the many graffiti-covered utility boxes in the district, starting with town centre locations. 

Part of the team’s remit is also to remove graffiti from private property, with the owners’ permission. This may take a little longer to arrange, and may not always be possible, but the team is keen to remove as much unwanted graffiti as possible. In 2024, a number of privately-owned buildings were cleaned, including Waitrose in Ramsgate, and Matalan on Westwood Road in Broadstairs. 

Members of the public are encouraged to report any tagging and illegal graffiti spotted on both public and private buildings, using a dedicated online form. Reports should include as much detail as possible, including the location, ideally with a What3Words reference. 

Cllr Steve Albon, Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Coastal, said: “Illegal graffiti really can be a blight on the local area, and can affect how residents feel about the place where they live. It’s not a great look for tourists and visitors either – we want to show off the district at its best. 

“Our graffiti removal team does a great job in removing a huge amount of graffiti each year, but does rely on members of the public to report it when they see it. I encourage people to use the council’s online form to make a report, and the team will act on it as soon as they can. This applies to tagging on private as well as public buildings.

“We regularly receive positive feedback from local people, thanking the team for their work in making Thanet a cleaner, more attractive place to be, so we know that it does make a real difference.”

It is important to note that not all graffiti is unwanted. Professional street art and murals can really add to the character of an area. In September 2024, the hoardings surrounding the council-owned affordable housing site in Dane Valley, Margate, were decorated with colourful murals. This was done in partnership with Margate-based Rise Up Clean Up and a number of local street artists. It improved the look of the site, where the hoardings had previously been covered with illegal tagging and graffiti. 

It is hoped that further artworks will be created at other affordable housing sites. The council is also exploring ways in which local schools and colleges could be engaged in plans for any future murals on other council sites.

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