GRAFFITI vandals have targeted buildings that were cleaned up as part of a community initiative just days earlier.

A zone team from Colchester Council, along with councillors and residents, blitzed the Mile End area last Thursday and removed 15 graffiti tags.

But on Monday evening, fresh spray paint was discovered on an electrical sub-station at the allotments in Bergholt Road.

The council’s leader, Anne Turrell, has urged the culprits to own up. She said: “I would like the people who did this graffiti to contact me so I could find out why they did it.

“I don’t want to stop their artistic ability, but there are other ways of doing it.”

Mrs Turrell, also a Mile End ward councillor, took part in the clean-up operation.

She added: “It is disappointing when I saw all the hard work put into cleaning that off last week.

“Now all the hard work has gone to waste because someone has graffitied.”

The vandals have spray painted three sides of the building, which is at the back of the allotment site.

Mrs Turrell’s fellow ward councillor, Martin Goss, said: “We will be taking a zero tolerance approach to this kind of behaviour and I will be sorting some neighbourhood patrols with residents to make sure we stamp this out immediately and hold those to account if found.

“We need to fence this building off, paint it all in anti-graffiti paint and maybe look at creating a mural on the building, which may deter graffiti.”

Police are investigating. Any witnesses are urged to contact the North Neighbourhood Policing Team at Ipswich Road police station by calling 101 and dialling extension 436123.

Anyone who would like to discuss the idea of a mural further should contact Mrs Turrell by e-mailing leader@colchester.gov.uk