It’s a crime that causes no physical suffering, yet graffiti is damaging in so many other ways. It’s estimated the so-called ‘tagging’ of public buildings such as schools, hospitals and businesses results in a monumental cost to the taxpayer.

UK law is doing its bit to deter the vandals. Britain is one of the few countries in Western Europe where graffiti-ists face a substantial fine or jail-term depending on the severity of the offence. The maximum penalty for 12 - to17-year-olds is 24 months’ detention, whilst adults face serving up to 10 years behind bars for deliberately defacing property.

If the courts are to get tough on graffiti, where is the substance that is tough on the damage itself, ensuring its quick and easy removal? Sika has developed a product which not only removes recurrent graffiti with a simple jet wash; it acts as an effective deterrent to illegal fly-posting.

Brush or roller applied, Sikagard®-850 AG Anti-Graffiti and Anti-Poster requires nothing more than a cold water hose and clean cloth to make good a defaced structure or vehicle. This simple process eliminates the need for chemically-bound detergents or aggressive cleansers, making it a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly graffiti deterrent.

Unfortunately, public infrastructure is viewed by graffiti vandals as a blank canvas on which to express their baffling sense of the artistic, and all the while the ingredients remain at their disposal – paint; a spray can; a bare wall – the defacement will continue. For every instance of creative vandalism, however, there is now a soluble solution – Sikagard®-850 – the simplicity of which is an art-form in itself.