WATCH: Vandal caught on camera spray painting a bar in Brighton

At least 13 buildings were damaged by the criminals, with the word Pluto daubed in silver paint from the seafront through to St James’s Street.

CCTV footage obtained by The Argus shows a man defacing the side and front walls of Bar Broadway in Steine Street shortly after 5.40am on Tuesday.

In the first clip, a hooded woman is seen looking towards the seafront, and the man, carrying a bag, begins etching the graffiti on the black side wall.

Throughout the footage, the woman appears to be working as a lookout while the man does the damage.

After around one minute spraying the side, the vandal moves on to the front of the building, where he is caught in clear sight looking at the camera with the spray can in his hand.

Broadway is a popular theatre bar among Brighton’s nightlife scene, and customers are extremely upset by the damage, which is going to set the business back £300.

Owner Michael McGarrigle said: “It’s mindless vandalism.

“We just had the bar painted in August.

“Steine Street is a nice little street tucked away.

“Now it just looks awful.

“Our customers and myself feel disappointed - it seems so pointless to deface almost a whole street.

“We don’t understand why anyone would want to deface the beautiful city where they live.”

Steine Street has multiple CCTV cameras operating from other buildings, and the tagger was also caught by another bar.

Broadway was one of many buildings to be struck around the city centre, with the tag cropping up on Tuesday morning.

The trail of destruction began at The Gym in Madeira Drive, and is next seen on the Harvester restaurant nearby.

Pluto is splashed in the same silver paint on six buildings in Steine Street, including a house and Sussex Beacon’s charity shop, before moving on to St James’s Street. Ladbrokes and Sainsbury’s were also targeted, with the latter getting it removed the same day.

Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to call 101 quoting serial 453 of 05/12, or report it online at sussex.police.co.uk/appealresponse

‘IT IS MINDLESS VANDALISM’

THE mindless vandals who defaced properties in Tuesday’s early-morning rampage caused unnecessary damage to their victims.

Houses, businesses and even a charity shop were targeted by the hoodlums in Brighton, upsetting many people in the process.

Michael McGarrigle, the owner of Bar Broadway in Steine Street, said he has to fork out £300 to paint over the damage done to his property just months after having it refurbished.

Resident Sue Russell’s house was another of the buildings coated in silver paint with the word Pluto daubed across it - while she is in the process of putting her house up for sale.

She said: “This has never happened before, and I have lived here for 12 years. It’s weird and it has upset me.

“I only had the house painted last year and I am putting it on the market - now this vandalism is going to put people off.

“I will lose a bit of value because they have done most of the street. The graffiti will be the first thing people pick up on.”

Fortunately for her, Ms Russell still has the original paint which her house is coloured with, but the 70-year-old said she is going to have to re-paint it herself.

She added: “It’s a sad thing to do, vandalising your own environment just for the hell of it.”

Just round from Ms Russell’s home is the Sussex Beacon charity shop in St James’s Street.

The entrance sits in Steine Street, and has been glossed, again, with the silver spray paint.

Either side of the front door, the word Pluto is etched.

The charity supports people living with HIV.

They cannot afford to get the damage reversed, and must wait to see if it will be cleaned by Brighton and Hove City Council.

Staff member Vaughan Jones was duty manager when The Argus stopped by the shop yesterday.

He said: “I am sure I speak for all other charity shops when I say that customer service and keeping the place looking nice are your most important values.

“The graffiti just really undermines that. It is mindless vandalism and I think it puts people off. We could lose passing trade.

“We will have to see if it gets cleaned up by the council - they usually do it periodically.”

Mr Jones, 62, also said the ‘tagging’ culture of painting names on buildings has become a burden.

He said: “I would rank the problem along with what we have allowed to happen to Madeira Terrace, in the sense that it’s so in your face. I think it could detract people from wanting to come here.”

Mr Jones is not opposed to some graffiti, however, and said the city has its spots for true artwork. “The Prince Albert pub looks incredible,” he said.

“And along the back of London Road. It can be good for the city.”