A STONE beauty spot has been daubed with graffiti almost a year after a similar attack in the town centre.
It is believed vandals struck on Friday and Saturday nights.
The daubings included stencilled ghetto blasters, cassettes, arrows and crude imagery on the bridge by the Trentside Clinic, one of the town entrance signs and the toilet block near the boatyard.
In April 2012 “tags” appeared in Newcastle Road, Margaret Street, on bridges along the canal and around the Whitebridge Estate.
Town councillor Rob Kenney, who is also chairman of Stone in Bloom, said: “The reaction in the town is the same as last year - people are disgusted by it.”
Councillor Jill Hood said: "There's nothing artisitic about this at all, I don't even think it deserves to be called graffiti, it's just a mess."
She said the town was just starting to attract canal boat users and this sort of anti-social behaviour was just the sort of thing likely to threaten that.
"It's the first thing that a lot of those people on boats will see as they come into town," she said.
Residents and businesses with CCTV cameras in the area have been contacted, and the incidents reported to police.
Councillor Kenney said CCTV footage is currently being examined in a bid to trace the culprits.
Stone in Bloom has organised a community clean-up event - weather permitting - and anyone who wants to help the group clear up is asked to meet at Stafford and Stone Canoe Club at 10am on Sunday, bringing their own cleaning equipment.
The group has asked that organic cleaning agents are used.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “Graffiti was found on a milestone, mooring posts, night lights, signs and the side of bridges as well as on the Welcome to Stone sign but that has since been cleaned off.
At this point no graffiti has been found in the town centre.”
