Media centre

Thursday 22 Jun 2006

NATURE SITE GRAFFITI GETS ITS MARSH-ING ORDERS

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

Railway graffiti around the Walthamstow Marshes has been given the brush-off thanks to Network Rail working in partnership with Lee Valley Park Rangers and English Nature. A number of railway bridges and viaducts in the marshes were heavily covered with graffiti so Network Rail contacted English Nature and Lee Valley Park Rangers to organise a clean-up of the area. The two-week clean up operation by Network Rail’s maintenance staff was completed last week and has made a massive difference to the marshes which is a much-loved area for school visits, events, joggers and dog-walkers. Network Rail’s Territory Maintenance Director David Wilks said: “Network Rail is committed to tackling graffiti on the railway while also protecting the environment, so we were delighted to team up with English Nature and Lee Valley Park Rangers to carry out this work. I hope this graffiti clean-up will make a huge difference to the families and children who regularly visit the Walthamstow Marshes.” Lee Valley Park Ranger David Miller said: “We are very grateful to Network Rail for this work which is a massive boost for everyone using the Walthamstow Marshes. Graffiti is an eyesore that ruins this beautiful area so we are delighted to be working with Network Rail to keep the marshes clean.” Network Rail’s maintenance staff will continue to visit the site on a regular basis to remove any further vandalism in an effort to deter the graffiti artists. The Lee Valley Rangers will also be acting as Network Rail’s ‘eyes and ears’ on this site, allowing maintenance teams to quickly respond to new graffiti.