Graffiti is creating an increasingly costly maintenance challenge for UK towns and cities, with both local businesses and councils spending hundreds of thousands of pounds tackling vandalism and some increasing their clean-up budgets for the year ahead.
New Freedom of Information data analysed by trade supplies retailer GTSE.co.uk, covering 214 local authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales, revealed the scale of graffiti reports across the UK, and the significant resources required to keep public spaces and town centres clean.
While London unsurprisingly accounts for many of the areas with the highest number of reported incidents, the data also highlights significant levels of graffiti outside the capital. Canterbury City Council recorded 4,080 reports in 2025, while Edinburgh recorded 2,443 and Newcastle 2,359.
Top 10 UK Council Areas by Reported Graffiti Volume (for the past year, 2025)
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London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, London: 6,569 reports (3.5 per 100 residents)
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Westminster City Council, London: 5,290 reports (2.5 per 100 residents)
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London Borough of Camden, London: 4,937 reports (2.3 per 100 residents)
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Brent Council, London: 4,166 reports (1.2 per 100 residents)
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Canterbury City Council, South East: 4,080 reports (2.5 per 100 residents)
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Royal Borough of Greenwich, London: 3,760 reports (1.3 per 100 residents)
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London Borough of Lambeth, London: 3,207 (1 per 100 residents)
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Southwark Council, London: 3,095 (1 per 100 residents)
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Edinburgh City Council, Scotland: 2,443 (0.5 per 100 residents)
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Newcastle City Council, North East England: 2,359 (0.7 per 100 residents)
For local authorities responsible for maintaining attractive town centres, graffiti can create ongoing maintenance for public spaces, street furniture and other surfaces. Outside of this, businesses and commercial property owners may also face the cost of dealing with vandalism on their own premises as councils are only responsible for certain locations and types of graffiti.
The cost of this clean up can be high too, Southwark Council reported spending approximately £460,000 on graffiti removal in 2025, with its budget expected to rise to around £496,000 in 2026. Camden Council is also increasing its graffiti-cleaning budget, from £374,650 to £392,858.
With councils already facing pressures on public services and town-centre maintenance, graffiti creates additional costs for local authorities and property owners. The FOI data also shows that councils take different approaches to response times. Offensive graffiti is generally prioritised and can be removed within hours in some areas, while non-offensive graffiti may be dealt with over a longer timeframe.
Graffiti on a shopfront or commercial property can quickly become an unwanted maintenance job for a business, particularly if the same area is repeatedly targeted. The first step should always be to establish who is responsible for the surface and whether the graffiti needs to be reported to the council. Where a business is responsible for the removal, acting quickly can make the process easier, as fresh aerosol paint is generally easier to remove than paint that has been allowed to cure.
Mikey Callaghan, Trade Supplies Expert at GTSE.co.uk said,
“Finding fresh graffiti on your business premises, shopfront, or local park is deeply frustrating. However, many people will complain straight to the council, when in fact, the council is only responsible for certain types of graffiti in certain areas.
“The way in which graffiti should be reported, will depend on where it is located. For graffiti on public property, you should contact your local council service, or report it via the Government portal. You can also use Fix My Street, to report local problems like graffiti, fly tipping or broken paving slabs.
For private property, such as homes and small businesses, you can report it directly to the owner. If graffiti is on private property but it contains offensive, racist or hateful language councils have a responsibility to remove it and should prioritise cleaning within a reasonable timeframe. This removal should be free, regardless of who owns the property.
“While councils are bound by strict budget pressures and must rightfully prioritise offensive hate speech, leaving general tags for up to four weeks puts an unfair burden on local communities. Beyond being an eyesore, when vandalism sits unaddressed on a wall for weeks, it sends a signal that an area isn’t monitored, inviting further anti-social behavior.”
If you are unfortunate enough to need to remove graffiti from your property yourself, Mikey recommends,
1) Act fast
Aerosol paints cure over time, so the sooner you start cleaning it, the easier it will be to lift. Ideally, aim to clean it within 24-48 hours.
2) Identify the surface material underneath
Porous surfaces (such as brick, stone and concrete) require heavy-duty solvent paint removers, stiff wire brushes, or pressure washing.
Non-porous surfaces (like metal, glass, plastics), can usually be wiped clean with specialised solvent cleaners. For these surfaces avoid harsh abrasives that might scratch the surface below.
3) Protect yourself or your staff
Don’t skimp on personal protective equipment (PPE). Always wear heavy-duty work gloves and safety goggles when working with potent chemical paint strippers. If you are unsure how to remove it safely, consider hiring trained professionals.
4) Apply, scrub and rinse
Select the right products and then apply, scrub and rinse it off. For most graffiti, a multipurpose product like our graffiti remover aerosol spray works well, tackling a range of paint surfaces including, bricks, plastic, stonework, concrete and glass. This graffiti remover is also safe for use in confined areas without worrying about chemicals.
For large painted areas or particularly dried on graffiti, heavy duty removers may be needed, along with pressure washers.
For further information on who is responsible for graffiti removal and how to approach it, visit GTSE’s quick guide to graffiti removal.