BUS SHELTERS in North Ayrshire that have been damaged by graffiti will only be repaired if they are found to be offensive, it can be revealed this week.

After complaints regarding a bus stop that had recently been erected in Saltcoats, it has become clear that graffiti which contains names and non-offensive words won’t be dealt with due to financial constraints.

The bus stop pictured is on the High Road in Saltcoats and was put up already covered in graffiti. It has been branded a "disgrace" by a local councillor.

Cllr Jim Montgomerie, who serves Saltcoats and Stevenston, said: “I have managed to get numerous bus shelters erected in Saltcoats and Stevenston and the one on the High Road in Saltcoats is a disgrace.

“It was relocated from somewhere else which is absolutely fine, but it came covered in graffiti.

“I thought before it was erected it would have been brought up to standard (new Perspex panels put in).

“I have been asking the council for months now for new Perspex panels so that it is graffiti-free, but I am having no joy. I feel as if I am hitting my head off a wall.

"Some might say that in the grand scheme of things it might not be important compared to other things in the council.

"But to me, who got it put there, and especially to the people who stay there, use it and see it daily, it certainly is.

“These are the people who have been complaining to me for months about the graffiti so it is top of my agenda.

“The financial implications that I have been told are not my problem nor my constituents. We just want it sorted."

An astonished High Road resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The fact is that the bus shelter was erected in the condition it is today. We could not believe it as we watched them fit Perspex already defaced with graffitti.

“So the questions are; Did the erectors or suppliers of the shelter deface the perspex prior to fitting? Is it already defaced with ‘mindless non descript marks’ to save vandals a job? And

"Was the shelter moved from somewhere else in North Ayrshire because it gives the area a perceived bad reputation?

“Perhaps a reader can identify its previous location and if they have a new shelter?

“What does this say about how the council regard this part of Saltcoats?

"That they can remove a vandalised bus shelter from somewhere else and park it in another area without any thought of the residents who try and look after their area?”

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “Although we own bus stops and shelters, they are, however, managed on our behalf by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

“SPT has a maintenance contract in place with local company Sercon Ltd to clean and inspect our shelters once a month.

"SPT then liaise with us for any proposed replacements.

“In light of the financial challenge faced by the council, bus shelter repairs are priorities based on the severity of the damage caused and the offensive nature of the graffiti.

"Therefore, not all damage including minor acts of graffiti, will be actioned. We can confirm that the shelter near to the Esso Garage on High Road, Saltcoats, has been inspected by a Streetscene Officer, who found there to be scratches present – described as mindless non-descript marks with a few tag names. There was no obvious offensive language or religious references visible at the time of inspection. The details of this particular shelter will be passed to SPT to consider whether any future works are required.”