The rising blight of graffiti tags in South Woodford can be seen on our streets, subways and shopfronts, but with your help, we can report it, remove it and restore pride in our neighbourhood, says Rena Pathak
Have you noticed the surge in graffiti across South Woodford? It’s hard to miss. From the sides of shops and bridges to subways and signposts, the spray paint is spreading fast – and nowhere is it more visible than Rookery Path along the North Circular.
As a local resident who cares deeply about this area, I find it genuinely disheartening. This isn’t just about untidy walls; graffiti chips away at our sense of pride and safety. It sends the message that no one’s looking after our community. And when one piece of graffiti stays up, more often follow. It’s called the ‘broken windows’ effect – visible neglect that invites more antisocial behaviour.
What message are we sending to our children when they see vandalism all around them? That this is just normal? That this is okay?
Many of us in South Woodford are worried – and rightly so. This isn’t an occasional act of mischief anymore. It’s a growing problem that’s changing the look and feel of where we live.
In Redbridge, the Environmental Enforcement Team works to remove graffiti within three working days, prioritising anything offensive within 24 hours. That’s good news – but only if the graffiti gets reported. They’ve also trialled rapid-response cleaning and increased CCTV in hotspots. Offenders face fines of up to £5,000 and even prison time under the Criminal Damage Act 1971.
But here’s the rub: graffiti often reappears faster than it’s cleaned, and the burden falls on us – residents – to report it. And it’s not always clear who to report it to. Is it council-owned? TfL? BT? It’s frustrating, I know.
Still, if we want change, we can’t walk past this anymore. We need to act, together and consistently.
Here’s what you can do: download the Love Clean Streets app from Redbridge Council’s website (for free). It takes seconds to upload a photo, add a location and report any graffiti you see. Whether it’s on a shopfront or a subway wall, report it. Every time. Your report will be automatically sent to the relevant team at Redbridge Council to deal with. You will even be able to track the progress and will be notified as soon as the issue is resolve. (You can also use the app to report fly-tipping, potholes, abandoned cars, dog mess and other issues.)
If we all take that extra minute to report what we see, we can turn this around. It’s what being a community is all about. South Woodford deserves better. Let’s fight back with action, not apathy.
To download the Love Clean Streets app, visit swvg.co.uk/cleanstreets
