ANGRY resident Bernard Harris has challenged local councils to remove graffiti from the streets of Chesham in a bid to stamp out "crime and grime".

Mr Harris, Chartridge Lane, Chesham, hit the town's streets to snap 22 photographs of graffiti on road signs, walls and shops.

And at a meeting of Chesham's Town Centre Consortium, Mr Harris explained that many of Chesham's most prominent buildings had been sprayed by vandals.

Mr Harris recognised that it was not the responsibility of Chesham Town Council, Chiltern District Council or Buckinghamshire County Council to clean graffiti from private property, but he argued that they should do something to stop the problem from getting any worse.

He said: "This problem is running counter productive to everything we are trying to do. I challenge the councils to remove this graffiti. It will earn them a lot of Brownie points.

"Let it be a statement that it is not going to be tolerated. If we let them continue with with this then the problem will deteriorate."

Prominent buildings sprayed by vandals include The Elgiva Theatre, St Mary's Walk, and Chesham Town Hall, off Baines Walk.

Mike Kennedy, Chesham's town clerk, explained that it was not the responsibility of local authorities to clean graffiti from private property but only from property they own or overlook.