West Kilbride - Councillor voices dismay over graffiti at beauty spot

Graffiti has been spotted on a wall on Sandy Road in Seamill - the lane between Seamill Hydro and the Seamill House Hotel which links the main A78 with the beach.

Further graffiti has been spotted closer to the beach.

Stunned onlookers were shocked at the vandalism - and North Coast councillor Todd Ferguson has reported the matter to North Ayrshire Council (NAC).

Todd Ferguson hit out at the local vandalism (Image: Todd Ferguson)

Councillor Ferguson was disappointed to see the popular route had been targeted - and suggested that the introduction of free bus travel for Scotland's young people could be partly to blame.

He said: "[Graffiti] is becoming more prevalent across Scotalnd.

"There are suggestions it could be linked to free travel for young people accessing areas they haven’t been able to easily get to before as graffiti artists.

"It has been logged with Streetscene [the council's environmental service]. They should get it removed shortly.

Vandalism on wall has shocked onlookers (Image: Newsquest)

"Graffiti artists travel the main motorway networks across the UK, mainly jumping on and off buses, but you needed to have money previously.

"The spike recently could be linked to an affordable option to get to other areas. 

"Tagging is all about ownership and bravado in the graffiti community.

Second vandalism close to Ardneil Beach in Seamill (Image: Newsquest)

"It’s quite an expressive storytelling mechanism, i.e. different symbols mean different things.

"However, it’s unsightly, and the majority of residents would prefer it wasn’t happening in their backyards."

Shelter graffiti appeared in Millport shelter last month sparking local outcry (Image: Newsquest)

Councillor Ferguson recently reported similar graffiti in a shelter in Millport, which has since been cleared by NAC staff.

The council has dedicated teams who aim to remove graffiti within seven days of it being reported.

A council spokesperson said: "We use specialised equipment and chemicals that are environmentally friendly, safe and can be used to clean a range of surfaces and types of graffiti. 

"We will remove sharp items like needles and other antisocial debris at locations where graffiti removal is taking place.

Picturesque - Sunset glow as Seamill beach is popular with walkers (Image: Newsquest)

"This is a free service available to both public and private property owners."

To report graffiti in your area, go to north-ayrshire.gov.uk/bins-litter-and-recycling/graffiti-removal.aspx