Media centre

Wednesday 10 Jun 2009

THE WRITING’S OFF THE WALL FOR APPROACH TO BIRMINGHAM

Region & Route:

Network Rail and British Transport Police (BTP) have completed a major graffiti clean up operation in the area around Birmingham’s busiest railway junction.

Proof House Junction in Birmingham city centre, the approach to New Street and Snow Hill, has been targeted extensively by vandals who have sprayed several graffiti tags. This creates both a negative image of the city and has cost Network Rail more than £10,000 to clear up and through delays and disruption caused to train services.

On Sunday 7 June, 30 Network Rail people teamed up with members of BTP to scrub graffiti from the Proof House Junction area, which is seen as the gateway to the city with around 800 trains passing though every day.

As well as concerns about the negative impact of the graffiti and the cost of removing it, Network Rail and BTP also have fears about the safety of individuals committing graffiti crime in such a busy and dangerous location.

Rail staff and BTP officers said they were staggered at the risks some of the vandals had taken with graffiti being found close proximity to overhead electric power lines.

In one spot one vandal had written on a very precarious parapet over electrical overhead lines carrying 25,000 volts. The offender risked falling at least 30ft on to the rails, or being electrocuted if they had fallen on to the overhead wires.

Another example saw graffiti written on a stanchion for the overhead electrical lines’ support wires which are 20ft above ground.

Another serious hazard comes from the trains that pass through every day. Graffiti was discovered in places offering no refuge from approaching trains, areas where there are trip hazards or where offenders risked getting their feet trapped in railway points at the busy junction.

Chris Rowley, area general manager for Network Rail said: “Not only are vandals putting their own lives at risk, they are also costing the rail industry millions of pounds. This money could be better spent in improving the rail network.”

A BTP spokesman said: “People writing graffiti in this location are placing themselves at serious risk. The railway is an extremely dangerous environment and the risks, even to trained staff, are always present and very real.

“The potential for injury comes from moving trains, falling from great heights or high voltage electricity wires, all of which can and have been previously been responsible for fatalities.

“The dangers cannot be stressed enough. Writing graffiti on the railway is not a harmless pastime. It is a criminal act.

“British Transport Police will robustly deal with any person found engaged in this type of criminality and would encourage anybody with information about persons engaged in writing graffiti on the railway to contact them.”

Anyone with information about those responsible for graffiti on any railway property is urged to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.