THE growing menace of graffiti is under attack with an ingredient imported from Down Under.

Andrew Spedding and his wife, Jayne, run Graffiti Removal (Yorkshire) from the graffiti-free village of Sawley, close to Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.

They set up their business in September, importing environmentally-friendly liquid from Australia.

They have since supplied it to clean up sites ranging from supermarkets, flats, sports pavilions, shops, and housing developments to public buildings across North Yorkshire.

Mr Spedding, 39, said: "The solution works on the chemicals in the paint from spray cans or marker pens and then simply dissolves it.

"The next process is simply to hose it off."

He said there is no need to use a high-pressure spray because the solution has done the hard work. The swilling, down process, he said, means there is no damage to the fabric of buildings.

Mr Spedding said that the spread of graffiti is a growing problem across the country and, while mainly centred on big towns and cities, it is a problem which is gradually working its way into smaller towns and villages.

The company can be contacted on (01765) 620100.