Graffiti taggers risk lives on railway
9:22am Tuesday 17th April 2007
Comments (31)POLICE have warned graffiti taggers not to spend the lighter evenings risking their lives spraying on railway lines.
The vandals took a big gamble climbing on to train tracks to paint graffiti on Bremhill tunnel, between Cricklade and Purton.
There is no pavement on the side of the B4553 where the walls of the railway bridge have also been tagged.
The bridge is too narrow for two-way traffic to pass on it, but taggers have still stood at the side of the road to paint on the walls.
Network Rail said they were investigating the vandalism at the bridge and said people walking on the tracks were "playing with their lives."
A spokeswoman said: "Our maintenance crews fight a never-ending battle to remove graffiti, which in some cases appears almost as soon as it is cleared away.
"In addition to the unsightly disadvantages of graffiti, anyone trespassing on the tracks is literally playing with their lives.
"About 60 people each year are killed and hundreds more injured trespassing on the railways, either looking to commit acts of vandalism, taking short cuts messing around or playing chicken.
"Those who trespass not only put themselves at risk of disfigurement and death, but also endanger others.
"We are keen to work with the British Transport Police and train operating companies to explore partnership approaches to tackling graffiti in Swindon."
British Transport Police warned that trespassing on railway tracks is a crime that can see offenders taken to court or fined up to £1,000.
Transport officers warned youngsters to stay away from railway lines and said crimes on the rails, known as route crimes, were more prominent as the evenings become lighter.
Route crime officer for the British Transport Police, PC Clive Davies, said: "Trains reach high speeds and can travel almost silently.
"It can take up to two miles for trains to stop on full emergency braking, so if there are any obstructions and trespassers, there is very little action that the train driver can take to prevent the potentially severe consequences.
"With all these dangers I hope parents will urge children not to see the railway environment as a playground."
British Transport Police urged that anyone with information about crime on the railways contact them on 0800 405040 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Your Say YourThis Is Wiltshire
annoyed, swindon says...
9:39am Tue 17 Apr 07
If you live by the sword you die by the sword.
PaulD, Swindon says...
10:05am Tue 17 Apr 07
High rewards should be offered, with part of the penalty being to clean up the mess made. The funding can come from the funds currently used to clean up and fines applied to offenders.
derektrotter, pigtown says...
10:24am Tue 17 Apr 07
distract the youth from risking there lives and put up more facilities for them to occupy themselves with a decent sized skate park instead of the excuses for a park we have would be a start,swindon the so called booming fastest growing town in england and it doesnt cater for the youth.
a giant indoor skate park warehouse sized like so many towns and cities have will stop the majority of kids hanging around town skating around town and tagging up peoples property.
u could put in a restaurant an amusement arcade coffee shop and big walls around the park for people to paint.
sounds like a solution
anyone agree????
it would create jobs and pay for itself.
johnathon, says...
10:32am Tue 17 Apr 07
derektrotter wrote:yes but now look at this from the goverments point of view.
kids thrive of high risk activities the rush of adrenaline they get from tagging the streets or painting on the train line is part of why they do it. distract the youth from risking there lives and put up more facilities for them to occupy themselves with a decent sized skate park instead of the excuses for a park we have would be a start,swindon the so called booming fastest growing town in england and it doesnt cater for the youth. a giant indoor skate park warehouse sized like so many towns and cities have will stop the majority of kids hanging around town skating around town and tagging up peoples property. u could put in a restaurant an amusement arcade coffee shop and big walls around the park for people to paint. sounds like a solution anyone agree???? it would create jobs and pay for itself.
theres nothing for todays youth to do because all the goverment want is for you to go to school get brainwashed once you finish school go straight into work which would leave not much free time for yourself which means they wouldnt have to cater for the youth as there all at work slaving away just like robots
Ted, says...
11:05am Tue 17 Apr 07
DONKEY NOT SURPRISED wrote:If you outlaw paint then only outlaws will paint.
IT'S SIMPLE, STOP THE SALE OF SPRAYPAINT AND INDELLIBLE MARKER PENS, OR OF COURSE, PUT A HIGH PURCHASE TAX ON SUCH ITEMS, WHICH CAN BE REPAID ON PROOF OF LEGITIMATE USAGE! BAN IT FROM EBAY AND ALL OTHER INTERNET AND MAIL ORDER SOURCES. THIS IS ALL COSTING THE NORMAL PERSON A FORTUNE ACROSS THE COUNTRY! It's too darned simple, I've written to Government and they just don't see it! Cut out the source! Of course, the Railway Police could turn a blind eye for a few weeks and let a few of these idiots come to grief ... that might get the message over, but not very nice for the train drivers, I know! Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-always says that!!"!
No surprise the Government haven't responded - I think they put your suggestion in the idiot bin.
The 'normal person' does not pay for removal from private property - the owner is liable for that.
And if you ban colour from the UK then you create an empty canvass for artists and taggers to fill.
Tracy, Park North says...
11:21am Tue 17 Apr 07
The Real Bev, says...
11:38am Tue 17 Apr 07
Tracy wrote:Absolutely, if they put themselves in this position then they will have to pay the consequences they only have themselves to blaim...the only problem is aswell as putting themselves at risk they are putting the train driver and the passengers at risk!
Speed up the trains.
Endo, Walcot says...
11:46am Tue 17 Apr 07
lockem up, Swindon says...
11:47am Tue 17 Apr 07
Build more tunnels not skate parks.
Justin P, Swindon says...
11:53am Tue 17 Apr 07
I truly feel that this is a very big problem but unfortunately the local press have gone way over the top with the "advertising" of graffiti artists work. How succesful was the £100 reward?, one arrest and I not sure a conviction has been made. What is the main reason for graffiti? To advertise the artist and to mark areas of gang territory.
All it seems that has happened now is that lots of copycats have gone around spraying their names all over town only to have it appear in the local newspaper.........talk about play into there hands. Checkout : www.cleanercommunities.com
Casey Jones, says...
12:50pm Tue 17 Apr 07
King Tag, says...
1:10pm Tue 17 Apr 07
What we are seeing here is Darwin's Theory Of Evolution in action.
I managed to scribble on the front of a truck, whilst it was doing 80, in the wrong direction of a one way street.
Mind you my mate was better, he managed to scribble on the bottom of a P & O ferry whilst it was at full speed, halfway across the channel.
I wanted to scribble on the side of concorde, at mach 2, 60,000ft, but they scrapped concorde before my plan went into operation.
That would be da biz man. Know what I is meaninn bruvas?
Paul D, says...
1:24pm Tue 17 Apr 07
fully understand peoples attempts to remain anonymous, but what the actual reason for pretending to be somebody else could be, I have no idea.
I could ask the same as someone hijacked my Tag as well - possibly because people don't like the fact that I am critical of labour and some people don't like hearing the truth. But the absent Paul F Morse, Jason Reeves and Donkey wouldn't know anything about that would they ?
I expect they wish they were as clever as me
Dave, Swindon says...
1:33pm Tue 17 Apr 07
In bristol they did something slightly similar with fly-posters when they went round and pasted 'cancelled' stickers over the posters until they got the message.
I Too Could Be A Councillor, says...
1:41pm Tue 17 Apr 07
I regularly get my fence daubed with something unreadable.
Instead of cleaning it off this time, I will write is a moron and gay underneath it.
The culprit might even sneak round later to clean it off
Limal, the 80's says...
3:38pm Tue 17 Apr 07
I Too Could Be A Councillor wrote:Josh
That's a simple idea that might just work. I regularly get my fence daubed with something unreadable. Instead of cleaning it off this time, I will write is a moron and gay underneath it. The culprit might even sneak round later to clean it off
I don't think the above post was not being homophobic - 'moron and gay' were used in my time as insults - there was never anything abusive meant in those days.
Not like C**t and W****r which seem to be the words of choice for tody's youth.
Bring back the 80's....where people had time for each other....
DONKEY UPSET, In a flood of tears! says...
5:05pm Tue 17 Apr 07
There is no way that I would do that ... it's not of any real benefit to the cause!
Also, I like what Donkey writes and knowing him like I do, I am sure he wouldn't stoop so low!
Oh dear, what am I saying?
Anyway, I read in the Adver that a prosecution has resulted in a student from Salisbury, nabbed by the Railway Police, has to pay out almost £5,000 in compensation. I guess the cost of bringing him to Court was far and away more than the penalty. It should have been a fine of £50,000 given the evidence they apparently collected from his property!
Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-always says that!!!
Jason Reeves, says...
5:44pm Tue 17 Apr 07
I could ask the same as someone hijacked my Tag as well - possibly because people don't like the fact that I am critical of labour and some people don't like hearing the truth. But the absent Paul F Morse, Jason Reeves and Donkey wouldn't know anything about that would they ?
I expect they wish they were as clever as me
Donkey wrote
That PaulD ... is he suggesting that I, the RT Hon Donkey of Swinedune, put words supposedly from his good self on here?
There is no way that I would do that ... it's not of any real benefit to the cause!
Take no notice of this Dobbin.....I mean Donkey.
I suspect PaulD didn't actually write this.
It would appear that some of us are nearly famous. Perhaps we have stalkers, or the gutter press are out to get us.
Form a queue for autographs.
Charles Darwin, says...
5:46pm Tue 17 Apr 07
barry hudson, the tv guide says...
7:46pm Tue 17 Apr 07
The Standards Board!!, says...
9:15pm Tue 17 Apr 07
I Too Could Be A Councillor, says...
8:47am Wed 18 Apr 07
Does I too could be a councillor know that he would be brought before the standards board for England for his conduct and for using words such as Moron or Gay. Please stop talking stand for election be elected then be gagged or I will get you... Remember Sleep with one eye open. I am everywhere.
Me too.... I also try to be everywhere, so I expect we'll meet up quite often darling.
Incidentally, my previous posting, was not meant to offend gay people (no-one seems to mind if I offend morons).
The proposed daubing was on the assumption that most taggers probably aren't gay ( as it seems to be some kind of primate macho display)
I could equally add "tag" is a girl,
Would that mean I'm insulting women.
I do have gay friends, and I'm not ashamed to hug them in public.
Your's sincerely,
I Too Could Be A Gay Councillor.
PS Now step away from the board , and concentrate on your vision.
Bouyant
Vision
Vibrant
Vision
Dave, says...
12:33pm Wed 18 Apr 07
Giggles Clifton, Neasden says...
1:22pm Wed 18 Apr 07
King Tag wrote:Heh-heh-heh-heh!!!! Really laughing here, King Tag.
What we are seeing here is Darwin's Theory Of Evolution in action.I managed to scribble on the front of a truck, whilst it was doing 80, in the wrong direction of a one way street. Mind you my mate was better, he managed to scribble on the bottom of a P & O ferry whilst it was at full speed, halfway across the channel. I wanted to scribble on the side of concorde, at mach 2, 60,000ft, but they scrapped concorde before my plan went into operation. That would be da biz man. Know what I is meaninn bruvas?
STANE, says...
8:54pm Wed 18 Apr 07
Phil Me-Up, says...
8:58am Thu 19 Apr 07
Tracy, Park North says...
9:03am Thu 19 Apr 07
Phil Me-Up wrote:Go and play with the trains there's a good boy.
<b> Isn't it sad to see Middle England's kneejerk reaction against something as harmless to people as graffiti (which is only changing the colour of a surface illegally). It saddens me society has come to the point where people say they hope graffiti writers are killed; graffiti writers are people with friends, lovers & families too. Those wishing them pain and death are less than human and lacking in compassion, or probably just Daily Mail readers.</b>
Bane, UK says...
8:26pm Thu 19 Apr 07
People seem to think that 13 year old kids writing a "Tag" and 2k7 next to it are Graffiti writers. These are children, going through a phase. I assure you most will grow out of this, however, some may fall in love with the art and develop a tag into a full colour production. - this is a minority. To these people, graffiti writing will become a vocation.
You need to look at the history of Graffiti...New York, to understand graffiti, and the graffiti concept of fame.
The truth is, society seems to be in denial that a underground movement from the bronx and brookyln in the 1980's has "somehow" managed to spread around the world in less than 30 years, know no national, economic, racial, or social class bounds. Time will tell, but maybe Graffiti art may very well be documented as a art-mircle in a few decades of time?
As a Art student, i cannot name any artistic movement that has spread so rapidly, between people from all classes and nationalities in such a short space of time. Time will judge. I like to think of myself as a decent person, i am a vandal, but i am certainly not a mindless one. I hear the argument " i dont want to see graffiti, why should i have to view it, have it thrown in my face" To that i say, you're living in a landscape of capitalism, adverts are constantly thrown in your face, do you want to see them?
yan, purton says...
3:17pm Mon 23 Apr 07
www.anti-social-behaviour.co.uk
for all your anti social solutions
dad, says...
4:21pm Wed 25 Apr 07
The tunnel between Cricklade and Purton
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DONKEY NOT SURPRISED, Between The Lines says...
9:31am Tue 17 Apr 07
BAN IT FROM EBAY AND ALL OTHER INTERNET AND MAIL ORDER SOURCES. THIS IS ALL COSTING THE NORMAL PERSON A FORTUNE ACROSS THE COUNTRY!
It's too darned simple, I've written to Government and they just don't see it! Cut out the source!
Of course, the Railway Police could turn a blind eye for a few weeks and let a few of these idiots come to grief ... that might get the message over, but not very nice for the train drivers, I know!
Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-always says that!!"!