A PAIR of prolific graffiti artists have been locked up after causing more than £70,000 worth of damage across the North-East.

Christian Hemmel, 29, and Simon Kaszefko, 23, splashed paint across listed buildings and railway lines with more than 400 "tags" which identified them.

Councils were forced to foot massive cleaning bills after the pair scaled walls and buildings to paint their names across the town.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how officers raided the pair's rented house in Heaton on January 24, last year and they were arrested.

The damage caused to the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, which crosses the River Tyne, was valued at £21,175.

The paint sprawled across the Laing Art Gallery did £291 of damage and the paint has left lasting shading to the sandstone walls. Cleaning their markings from the city baths' walls cost £300.

Damage was also caused to the King Edward Bridge estimated at £9,000.

In total, damage caused by Hemmel, was £42,862 and Keszefko admitted £30,408 worth of paint damage.

Brian Mark, mitigating on behalf of Hemmel, said he hoped to legitimately make the most of his artistic skills.

Paul Caulfield, mitigating for Kaszefko, said the defendant was training as a warehouse man, and had no idea of the cost of cleaning from his crimes.

Hemmel, who is now living in Nottingham, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Kaszefko, of Jennifer Grove, Newcastle, jailed for eight months.