THE cost of cleaning up the scrawls of a prolific graffiti vandal has topped £10,000, it has been revealed.

Chiefs at Blackburn with Darwen Council, who have been tracking the vandal for more than three months, said hardly a day goes by without a new NG' scrawl appearing somewhere in the borough.

The tags' vary in size from a small ones done with a felt tip pen to spray-painted, 10ft long graffiti.

It costs £750 a day for the specialist equipment used to clean up the mess, and council bosses have warned they will prosecute the person responsible then they find them.

The council has called for the public's help in tracking down the culprit and issued the Crimestoppers phone number for residents to call anonymously and in confidence.

The vandal daubs graffiti on buildings across the town centre and the Bank Top area and the signature' writing has also been seen on Blackburn Railway Station.

In January, the council prosecuted teenage graffiti vandal James Alexander Bonnick who was responsible for painting the word 'Minki' at dozens of sites between July and December 2005.

He faced three charges of criminal damage and was believed to be responsible for at least 24 other incidents involving his tag' at a cost to taxpayers of more than £5,000.

In addition, the council has recently launched a crack-down on anti-social behaviour in the borough.

As part of the scheme, the council plans to use for the first time mobile CCTV cameras to catch vandals and criminals in trouble-spot areas.

The cameras will also be used to target fly-tippers, people who drop litter and those who vandalise schools.

It is hoped the cameras will also shed some light on the person behind the NG signature'.

Coun Mohammed Khan, executive member for housing and neighbourhoods at the council, said: "The council will prosecute this kind of activity when given the chance but to do so we need to gather the evidence.

"I would urge anyone who may have any information on this to come forward."

Anyone with information about the vandal should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.