• AS a retired railway worker, I read the report of the anniversary of deaths by artists on the railway with anger and despair, (The deadliest game of ‘tag’, June 8).

People risk their lives to disfigure not only the rail environment, cuttings, bridges and any flat surface they can find, also much rolling stock, passenger and freight.

Removing their efforts costs thousands, takes a long time, and often damages the surfaces on which they are made. The costs, of course, help to increase fares, a constant source of complaint.

And for safety, have they ever considered the traumatic effect on a train driver of hitting one of these people resulting in the driver being off work for weeks or months?

Apart from the railway environment, they deface every possible property both where they live and all over London. Again the cost to local authorities of cleaning is high, coming out of the rates.

The best remedy is to catch the offenders at work and not only fine them but make them remove their work, a rather laborious job, but exactly right to drive the message home that society does not want or like their work which creates an unpleasant and uncared-for feeling and environment.

Sadly this “fashion” seems to have spread all over Europe, Belgium being particularly bad with about half their local trains and locos covered with scrawls and lettering.

The pathetic mentality of the vandal is such that if they see a plain, blank, surface they have to disfigure it or overspray a rival’s efforts. A brand new Thameslink viaduct near London Bridge was disfigured within weeks of opening.

As for the report, (Artist tells of mural hate messages from Lana del Rey fans, June 12) about the unspeakable “street artist” Mr Zero his arrogance is appalling “….the public must get used to this aspect of art that’s being produced in the streets”.

I hold no brief for Lana Del Rey but for an attractively painted advertisement for her album (with the agreement of the landlord) to be destroyed by a loathsome scrawl of what appears to be a bag of bones is the last thing one wants to see.

The famous Banksy murals of Girl With Balloon and the elderly lady with a teapot were both well executed, amusing, and attractive but Mr Z’s “work” is both loathsome and unwanted.

I am sorry he “…can no longer tolerate the inexplicable number of harassing comments…”. But as far as I am concerned he deserves them all and I hope never to see his “work” again.

JOHN STRATTON, NW3