A £500 reward is being offered to anyone who can help catch the "mindless" vandal behind a spate of tagging in the centre of Herne Bay.

About 20 pieces of graffiti have been daubed across brick walls, fence panels and on homes in The Broadway, Avenue Road and the High Street.

The incidents have sparked fears the town is increasingly being targeted by taggers.

Peter Goodwin, of Herne Bay Town Partners, believes the tags – which appear to have been painted by the same person – were sprayed overnight last Wednesday.

“It’s mindless vandalism,” he said. “It’s really getting frustrating because they’re targeting people’s property.

“There are Victorian cottages which they’ve got no regard for and are spreading paint all over them, which could permanently damage the walls.”

Police received a report that graffiti had been sprayed on a wall in Avenue Road between Wednesday, October 16, and Thursday, October 17.

City council spokesman Rob Davies says the local authority will work with officers to try to identify the vandals.

“It’s very disheartening to see such wilful damage inflicted on residents’ homes and other property,” he said.

“If anyone has any information which could aid the investigation and bring the offender to justice, a £500 reward could be on offer.”

Mr Davies also says that three of the tags have been removed.

A waiver has been signed by one of the property owners, which will allow the local authority to remove the graffiti.

Mr Goodwin believes the paint should be removed immediately - otherwise it could encourage further damage in the town.

“It’s got to be stopped because it’s damaging people’s properties,” he said.

“In the last six months, it’s got increasingly worse.”

Police are urging anyone with information about the damage to call them on 01843 222289, quoting the reference number 46/200102/19.

Alternatively, contact the council by emailing graffiti@canterbury.gov.uk.

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