A BUSINESSMAN has given up calling the police about graffiti on his fleet of vans – even though it will cost him thousands to respray a vehicle.

Julian Ankersmit, owner of Brighton removals firm He-Van Movers Of The Universe, has just been targeted for the eighth time in the past five years.

He said: “I am not against graffiti if it is used for street art.

“I am against tagging and it’s getting out of control in Brighton.

“Well-established businesses and historic landmarks are often targeted, I think it’s because vandals get a thrill out of tagging them.

“I have reported the previous seven incidents to police but they don’t follow up on the cases.

“The police had a dedicated anti-graffiti team years ago but because of funding cuts there’s less police presence.”

Mr Ankersmit said his van has been permanently damaged because of the number of times he has had to remove graffit.

It costs up to £2,000 to respray it, another £300 to replace the signage and £150 to remove the tags.

He said: “Brighton was the place to be but not any more. I think the police should work more closely with the community and I think there should be harsher punishments for taggers.”

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “It is important for people to report all incidents of crime so that we are aware of incidents in the area.

“Even when we are not able to send an officer, which we understand can be disappointing, we still pass information to our local policing teams, and update our crime and intelligence IT system.

“We are supporting Brighton and Hove City Council in their development of a strategy to deal with graffiti in the city and will become involved if any information comes to light that would provide a realistic investigative opportunity.”