A Bilton man spent two-and-a-half hours cleaning a bridge mural yesterday after vandals covered it in racist graffiti.
Chris Knight decided to act after noticing the Iron Bridge, which is on the edge of Bilton and crosses over towards Claro Road, had been defaced.
It’s not the first time that vandals have targeted the mural since it was painted. But this time around they had painted a swastika and anti-Pakistani messages.
Rather than waiting for others to sort out the problem, Mr Knight took on the challenge with a brush and cleaning solution.
Emma Garness, the artist who created the mural, used special paint to protect it from graffiti, which enabled Mr Knight to clean it without damaging the artwork.
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Mr Knight told the Stray Ferret:
“When something like this happens, people always ask for others to sort out the problem. I just think why can’t we step up?
“During the two-and-a-half hours it took to clean, around 50 people stopped to chat with me and were thankful of the job I was doing.
“This is the second time the bridge has been covered in graffiti since the mural was painted. It was much worse this time.
“If it happens again then I will be back to clean it up. Maybe next time we will be able to get a group together.”
