Specialists remove graffiti at Whittington Castle
Over £1,000 has been spent to remove offensive graffiti from the walls of a popular castle after it was hit by a spate of vandalism.
Paint was used to graffiti the walls of the 12th century Whittington Castle in October, with trustees stating the future of the castle was under threat due to continuous incidents of mindless vandalism.
Other damage included a defibrillator being wrenched off its cabinet and dumped, and damage to a shed on the castle grounds.
However after a crowd funding campaign by locals, repair work has been carried out an experts were brought in to clean the graffiti away.
Castle Manager Sue Ellis said the work has now been completed, just in time for the tourism boom that the castle has over the spring and summer months.
She said: "Because of the age of the castle, we couldn't just get a brush and scrub the graffiti off.
"We have to get consent from Heritage England, and then experts from G Force Stream came in earlier this week to clear off all the graffiti.
"What was sprayed on the walls is not publishable, and we wanted to get it off there in time for the tourism season.
"We will have many school trips and children coming here, and that is not something for children to see.
"We are very grateful for the locals who donated towards a crowd funding campaign that was set up by a resident."
Last year chair of the trustees Jonjo Evans warned that the situation about vandalism and anti-social behaviour had become serious, and the castle was seeking the co-operation of all villagers, especially parents, in getting to grips with this crisis.
Now the work has been completed, the castle manager is hoping they have seen the last of the vandalism.
She said: "All the work has been done and we are ready for the busy period ahead, so we are hopeful the vandalism just doesn't happen again."
