The London Underground is spending a staggering £11 million annually to combat graffiti, with a particular focus on the Bakerloo and Central lines. This significant investment highlights the persistent issue of train tagging, which has seen a recent surge. Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Andy Lord revealed that staff are working tirelessly to remove an average of one tag every three minutes, a daunting task given the scale of the problem. The funds are allocated for proactive investigation, prevention, and cleaning, with Lord emphasizing the collaboration between TfL, British Transport Police, and investigation teams to identify and mitigate hotspots where people gain access to trains. Despite these efforts, the problem persists, with cleaners removing over 3,000 tags weekly. Lord urges the public not to take matters into their own hands, warning that guerrilla cleaning can be risky and cause unintended damage. The majority of cleaning occurs when trains are not in service, but some cleaning is done while trains are running. This ongoing battle against graffiti costs a substantial amount, raising questions about the effectiveness of current measures and inviting discussion on potential solutions.
