A GROUP of dedicated volunteers is tackling city centre graffiti with the financial support of Cornwall councillors.

The five-strong team began tackling paintwork in Roberts Ope on Saturday [November 1], and is waiting for permission to paint over a major outbreak in Green Street, near the bus station.

The campaign is led by Paul Caruana, who was moved to act upon seeing tags daubed on a wall in Green Street. “It’s a subject close to my heart,” he said. “I don’t mind nice graffiti, but not tags – and some of the stuff being written bothered me. It’s ugly and we don’t want to see it in our towns.

“We’ve done risk and cost assessments, and are waiting for permission from the owner of the Green Street building so we can get to work.”

In the meantime, volunteers got cracking with walls and doorways in the pathway known as Roberts Ope, connecting Boscawen Street with Lemon Quay. Road signs and postboxes have also been on the receiving end of cleaning fluids and elbow grease.

The group is currently operating with the help of Falmouth-based not-for-profit community group The Fix and Flourish Project, in the hope growing to the point of being able to apply for grants from the National Lottery and Devon and Cornwall Police’s proceeds of crime fund.

Truro’s Cornwall councillors have donated around £400 collectively from their Community Chest towards the cost of anti-graffiti paint that will be easier to clean in future.

Cllr Steven Webb (LibDem, Moresk and Trehaverne), said: “I think it’s brilliant to see a group of people owning the city in this way. As some of these buildings are private, the councils can’t just paint over them.

“Perhaps this will make a difference. Instead of being bad news about graffiti, it’s good news about people saying, ‘if you do this, we’ll be right behind you to put it right again’.”