'They'll give up before I do', says graffiti cleaner John

A NEWTON Abbot man has been praised for cleaning up graffiti in his neighbourhood.

John Cooper, who works full-time in the motor trade, has been tackling graffiti for the past couple of years, using cellulose and a cloth to remove the markings whenever he spots them.

His latest target was a utility box on Aller Brake Road.

And John says he has no plans to stop.

‘I thought, “they will give up before I do”’, he said.

‘I have been doing it for years. Whenever I see it, I’ll do it, and I’ll still do it when I retire’, he added.

With a full time job, John is largely limited to Saturday mornings when it comes to carrying out his clean-up work.

He believes more people could do their bit to improve the appearance of where they live.

‘It’d be nice if people went out and swept outside their house. You know, like your mother and father used to sweep up outside’, he said.

‘I don’t know what has happened to civic pride’, he added.

Councillor Jacqueline Fry (Newton Abbot North, Reform UK) praised John’s commitment.

‘Nobody asked him to do it, and he certainly wasn’t seeking recognition. He simply wanted to improve the appearance of his community’, she said.

‘I believe he is a wonderful example of civic pride and the sort of community spirt that deserves recognition’, she added.

Cllr Fry said she had repeatedly raised concerns about graffiti and its impact on local communities, but getting action could be challenging, particularly where graffiti appears on privately owned buildings.

In such cases, responsibility often falls to property owners, rather than the local authority.

‘Rather than waiting for someone else to solve the problem, John took positive action to improve the area for everyone’, Cllr Fry said.