Getting rid of the grafitti

Published: Saturday, 13 March 2010

AN EIGHT weeks project is being undertaken in partnership between British Waterways and Wolverhampton City Council to remove graffiti from the canal bridges in the town's network.

It's hoped that the project will make Wolverhampton canals more attractive, and encourage local communities to take greater pride in their local environment.

As the bridges vary in age the graffiti will be removed using a new technique aimed at protecting the brickwork of historic structures. A team of workers from British Waterways' contractor May Gurney, will spray the bridges with a special gel to dissolve the paint before removing both the gel and the paint with jets of steam. A suction system will be used to capture the paint residue to ensure that the canal isn't polluted.

Mainline and Staffs & Worcs canals

The project will target bridges owned by both British Waterways and Wolverhampton City Council on the Birmingham Mainline and Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal.

John Harris, British Waterways' Senior Regeneration Manager promised:

"This project will breathe new life into the region's historic canal network. By removing the graffiti we hope to make the Wolverhampton canal network more welcoming and give people a sense of pride and ownership in their local canal, encouraging more families to go out and rediscover what it has to offer."