BURY North MP David Chaytor has welcomed a range of new powers aimed at ridding communities of the scourge of graffiti.

These include a ban on sales of aerosol paints to under-16s, new powers for local authorities to issue penalty notices for graffiti and fly-posting, and extra powers for local authorities to remove graffiti from street furniture, such as phone boxes.

Mr Chaytor said: "Anti-social behaviour is one of the top concerns of people in Bury and these measures will make a real difference to the area.

"Stopping kids buying aerosol paints and the tough new powers for the police to issue penalty notices for vandalism and graffiti will make Bury a safer, cleaner place to live."

He continued: "Graffiti is an eye-sore which blights our communities and damages people's quality of life. One in three people say that graffiti and vandalism is a problem in their area.

"Graffiti is criminal damage, a crime that costs the taxpayer hundreds of millions a year to clean up as well as creating an environment where people feel threatened and fear of crime increases.

"Measures such as penalty notices and piloting new powers for councils to tackle graffiti more easily send out a strong message that this kind of anti-social behaviour will be tackled not tolerated."

This is the third set of powers contained in the Anti-Social Behaviour Act to come into force locally.