“Who is Nacho?”
This is the question perplexing the people of Kirkcaldy as a graffiti menace continues to run riot through the town.
Community leaders have called on artists to can their habit and stop defacing the town following a huge upsurge in illegal spray painting.
Several streets have been vandalised in recent weeks, with buildings including the former Tesco supermarket and Fife College having been “tagged”.
Local MSP David Torrance is among those calling for action to see the culprits brought to justice and is urging for police to utilise the town’s CCTV network.
He said: “I’m extremely disappointed that this has happened.
“A lot of work is done to make the town look good for visitors but all of that has been undone.
“It is a problem that Kirkcaldy has never had before but the town has an extensive CCTV system so the police must be able to catch them.”
Town centre buildings, phone exchanges and signs have all been targeted by graffiti artists in recent weeks , with many of the “tags” – the term used to describe the unique symbols used by each painter – incorporating names.
By far the most popular of these is “Nacho”, while “Moira” and “Agnes” tags are also common sights on the town centre streets.
David Henderson, the chair of Kirkcaldy West Community Council, has also been alarmed at the upsurge in graffiti.
As well as encouraging town centre residents to report any suspicious activity they may see, he said that he had concerns about the wider impact that such daubings would have on people’s perceptions of the town centre.
“It’s quite worrying,” he said.
“The situation is beginning to look quite desperate.
“The police seem to have more important things to deal with.
“As the priorities get tighter the resources get smaller and something has to give.”
jowatson@thecourier.co.uk.
