Canal and River Trust to remove graffiti from Devizes bridge

Wiltshire Council has granted approval for cleaning work on the Town Bridge on Bath Road in Devizes.

The application was part of the Canal and River Trust’s proposed campaign of graffiti removal works following a rise of vandalism to heritage structures affecting the Kennet and Avon Canal.

This campaign seeks to address anti-social behaviour on the waterway.

The application described the graffiti as 'offensive'. (Image: Canal & River Trust)

The trust has invested in professional graffiti cleaning equipment and has “undergone specialist training by selected operatives who will form part of the graffiti removal task force with assistance from our local volunteer supporters.”

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The bridge itself is a Grade II listed building and the application states that it has historic value “as a part of wider canal history, the engineering of the canals and the people who built them.”

It also mentions that it has communal value through its popularity with boaters, walkers and residents.

The trust has said the cleaning will be carried out by suitably skilled personnel. (Image: Canal & River Trust)

According to the application, the aesthetic value of assets along the waterway has been “negatively impacted by successive vandalism incidents.”

It adds: “Every effort will be taken to protect the substrate of the assets and to ensure that surface materials are not further damaged by the graffiti removal works.

The proposed works will have a beneficial effect on sustaining and enhancing the heritage value of the designated assets.”