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24
Feb
Police give update on Fountains Abbey graffiti investigation
Police have issued an update after graffiti was painted on Fountains Abbey last week.
North Yorkshire Police said on Thursday a man in his 40s had been arrested following the incident at the UNESCO World Heritage Site near Ripon.
The arrest came after the force published a CCTV image of a man it wanted to talk to about the incident.
The Stray Ferret asked the police for an update today, including whether anyone had been charged.
A spokesperson told us:
A man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and has since been released on bail while our enquiries into the incident continue.
The National Trust site, which attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year, was targeted on the evening of February 16.
Graffiti was painted on the abbey and St Mary’s Church, which is inside the Studley Royal deer park.
Police said the paint was oil-based, which has caused considerable damage to the medieval stonework at the grade-one listed building.
The National Trust last week told the Stray Ferret the graffiti is the worst case of vandalism it had ever seen at Fountains Abbey.
The charity was assessing whether specialist contractors to remove the paint without further damage to the stonework were required, the site’s general manager, Justin Scully, told us at the time.
Vandalism can undermine integrity of World Heritages Sites, UNESCO says
The Stray Ferret contacted UNESCO after last week's incident.
We asked if vandalism is a recurring issue for the organisation and what it proposes is done to prevent such incidents happening again.
A spokesperson said:
Graffiti and vandalism in general is a significant concern for UNESCO, as it could undermine the integrity of sites and affect their Outstanding Universal Value, which refers to the attributes that justified its inscription on the World Heritage List.
In 2017, the World Heritage Committee – the governing body of the convention – noted “with concern increasing vandalism at World Heritage properties” and encouraged “States Parties to improve monitoring and security measures as well as awareness raising on the detrimental effects of vandalism, and to consider introducing creative solutions to allow visitors to express themselves without leaving permanent marks or damage”.
Each time UNESCO is informed of such incidents, the organisation encourages the relevant State Party to take immediate action to repair and clean the affected areas. Additionally, we stress the importance of raising awareness among visitors about the risks of intentionally damaging World Heritage sites.
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