VANDALS in Melksham have sprayed graffiti all over walls in the Bath Road underpass which had just been repainted.

The six panels damaged – four on one side and two on the other – now contain a variety of drawings, including one of a cat, and accompanied by phrases such as ‘I love weed’ and ‘DoE’.

Police say they are searching for someone who took down a rail and sprayed graffiti over the newly-painted walls.

The Bath Road underpass leads to Melksham Railway Station. The incident is believed to have taken place last Friday evening and was reported to police on Saturday.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We ask that people respect their local community and not graffiti on public spaces, as it costs public money and officer time to repair them.

“We are grateful to Melksham Town Council for their support in regularly over-painting much of the graffiti that appears in the town.

“We are open to looking at options into more appropriate usage of this wall space.”

Stephen Gray, the chief executive of Melksham Town Council, said there had been talks two years ago about a project involving pupils from Melksham Oak Community School.

“It was going to feature the history and the heritage of the town with images in a tiled mural but it was never progressed. It was going to cost between £35,000 and £40,000.

“However, if we had some positive input from the school for a street art project now, I am sure the town council would be interested in understanding the school’s aspirations.”

Under new powers which came into force in 2006 to crack down on environmental crimes and anti-social behaviour such as graffiti, fly-tipping and fly-posting, Wiltshire Council can now issue on-the-spot fines of up to £80 to anyone caught spraying graffiti.

Measures under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 enable local authorities in England and Wales to tackle the issue themselves instead of taking offenders to court.