Clean-up call asscheme starts

DUP councillor Darryn Causby said that in recent months there had been a dramatic increase in the amount of graffiti around the town, but in particular by the River Bann.

Riverside attractions such as the old town quay and the recently renovated pump house are included in the public realm linkages schemes,

A separate Riverside project is also in the pipeline, aimed at regenerating the area.

However, Cllr Causby said the graffiti has damaged the image of the area significantly, “making it look more like a ghetto rather than a vibrant leisure trail for families”.

He added, “I am asking the council to make an effort to remove this graffiti and to clean up the area as we have seen investment in it. I am also appealing to the PSNI to step up patrols in this area and to use their CCTV resources to help stamp this out.

“Portadown and its businesses have had a tough few years and we are hopefully starting to see the tide turn, but in order to keep attracting visitors and locals to our town it is important that it is clean, tidy and vibrant.”

A spokesperson for ABC Council said, “In late December, council removed graffiti from the new fencing around the renovated pump house. Now, more has appeared including that on private property and on the underside of the bridge itself.

“This is very disappointing given the investment and the overall potential of the riversides project.

“Council is looking into how it can, along with other property owners, arrange removal of the graffiti.”

Preparatory works for the public realm scheme start on Monday.