"We have been alerted to the other offensive graffiti and we are already seeking permission to remove it"
14:33, 24 Sep 2018
There is still 'anti-Semitic' graffiti plastered around a Bristol neighbourhood more than a week after a spate of vandalism in the area.
Although one offensive tag left on an on-street bike storage locker was cleaned last week, two other derogatory tags have been left, along with the rest of the graffiti.
Montpelier residents awoke on Saturday, September 15, to find cars, houses and street furniture had been targeted with unsightly graffiti overnight.
Among the multitude of tags left by the brazen vandals was an ethnic slur for a Jewish person alongside another rude word, both scrawled on an on-street residents' bike shelter in Bath Buildings.
The graffiti in Montpelier included an anti-Semitic slur, which was painted on a bicycle shelter(Image: zedphoto.com)
The word was removed by Bristol Waste on Thursday, September 20, using a power washer, however the other tags covering the bike shelter were left.
Two residents allegedly confronted the worker, who said he had 'only been sent to remove the offensive words'.
READ MORE: Man hospitalised after ‘agitated’ dog bites two people in Bristol attackThe council's waste disposal contractor said the chemical they had blasted the graffiti with "was damaging the shelter", which was privately owned, so they needed permission to return to finish the job and repaint the hangar.
Bristol Waste said it had begun cleaning the rest of the graffiti in the area and would return on Friday to continue the work.
(Image: Bristol Live)
However, two offensive tags - the same as the one cleaned from the bike shelter - remained on Monday, September 24.
One tag is sprayed on the corner at the foot of Bath Buildings while the other is on the wall of Apperley Studios, next to the Montpelier Medical Centre car park - a spot that dozens of people pass on a daily basis.
READ MORE: Huge barn fire near Bristol took more than 12 hours to put outA spokesperson for Bristol Waste said the company was waiting for permission to remove the anti-Semitic slurs.
“We have been working hard to remove the graffiti with two crew on site for several hours on Friday, and we will be returning today," she said on Monday, September 24.
The offensive tags that remain in Montpelier(Image: )
"As most of the graffiti is on private property, we need authorisation from the owners to progress and we have been actively seeking permission so we can proceed as quickly as possible.
“We have been alerted to the other offensive graffiti and we are already seeking permission from the medical centre to remove it.
READ MORE: Woman trapped after Bristol Avon Ring Road crash"We will always seek to remove offensive graffiti as quickly as possible and would like to take this opportunity to remind residents that tagging and graffiti is illegal and offenders may be prosecuted.
"Meanwhile, we encourage residents to report instances of graffiti and tagging to us through the Bristol City Council website.”
The distinctive 'SOAK' tag, which is a feature of graffiti on display in other parts of Bristol(Image: Christian Martin)
The tags 'SOAK' and 'RUKUS' are also sprayed in the vicinity, suggesting at least three people were behind the spate.
The 'SOAK' tag has links to other reports of vandalism in the city.
Avon and Somerset Police are investigating the incident and the force says it takes the matter "extremely seriously".
This latest spate of vandalism, which is believed to taken place overnight on Friday, September 14, is not the first time Montpelier has been targeted.
In January, vandals were accused of carrying out a “mini-rampage” in the area - after buildings were spray-painted and several cars damaged.
If you have any information regarding this latest incident, call police on 101 or alternatively call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.