A major campaign has been launched by the Aberdeen Evening Express in a bid to rid the city of vandalism and graffiti.

The Smash The Vandals initiative has been introduced in conjunction with the city council and local police.

A special hotline has been set up by the newspaper for the public to report incidents of vandalism.

The Evening Express plans to alert the council, which has promised to deploy a squad of young offenders on community service to immediately clean up the mess, including any graffiti from walls.

Grampian Police will also be notified after a call in an attempt to catch the criminals.

Many local businesses, many of which have been hit by vandalism, are to support the campaign.

The Express has sent out 800 letters to firms asking them to display anti-graffiti posters and not sell marker pens to youths.

The eventual aim is to restore a sense of pride to the city and reduce the annual £1.5m vandalism bill.

The paper’s comment column carried the message: “It’s a campaign worth fighting for – and it’s winnable.”

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