Southsea bridal boutiques owners concerned that ‘vandals are being left to roam’ as premises hit with graffiti

Owners of Creatiques Bridal Boutique Andrew and Robert Pearce found the graffiti on Wednesday when the Albert Road shop was opened for an appointment.

Robert said: ‘We discovered the graffiti on the side of the shop - it’s on the grill and sprayed through on the glass of the window.’

‘Portsmouth City Council won’t touch it, the police said it’s not a police matter, which I think is absolutely shocking.

‘Our hands are tied - they’ve just been able to get away with it.’

The owners are considering private security cameras to protect their business in the future.

Rob said: ‘These vandals are being left to roam and do what they want in this city.

‘It’s going to cost us money to have the shop repainted - after the lockdown, we’re going to have to try and finance that. We’ve got to function as an exclusive bridal shop - it’s not a very good look to have the graffiti.’

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘We received a report at 1.34pm on June 2 regarding graffiti that had been sprayed onto the front shutter of a shop on Albert Road, Southsea.

‘The incident has been filed pending any further information coming to light.

‘Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact police on 101, quoting 44210214531.’

Creatiques’ owners also said that ongoing problems have also been caused by piles of rubbish left outside their shop.

Rob said: ‘It’s dangerous and it’s a health hazard. There’s rubbish out of all the bins. It’s going to accumulate and damage our business.

‘I want the council made accountable for this - the council should be able to help businesses like ours that have been targeted. We’ve been left out in the cold - left high and dry.’

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A council spokesperson said: ‘Waste and graffiti on private land are the responsibility of the property owner. But we do try to help where we can.

‘We removed some waste from the area a while ago, and are arranging to remove some more that has built up.

‘We've been investigating the issue, and it seems that a lot of the waste is from some properties nearby, where residents may need reminding of the proper place to put their rubbish out.

‘We'll contact the landlord of those properties, who is responsible for ensuring his tenants' waste is put out appropriately for collection. We'll continue to advise and help.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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