A POLLING station in Ross-on-Wye has been daubed with graffiti today.

Between 10.30pm on Wednesday, May 1, and 6am on Tuesday, May 2 a wall on the town’s bowling club building was targeted with a political message that begins with the words ‘Your tax…’

Graffiti on wall
GRAFFITI: The wall of the polling station at Ross-on-Wye's Bowling Club targeted by vandals. (Tindle)

The presiding officer at the polling station for the election of the Police and Crime Commissioner at the site explained that when staff left the bowls club on Wednesday night the graffiti had not been daubed on the walls.

But when staff returned this morning, the message was plain to see.

And while the polling station inspector, who arrived at the same time as the staff, contacted the elections office over the graffiti issue, officials from Ross Bowling Club tried to paint the message out. But despite this, the graffiti was still visible through the new painted surface.

General view
OBSCURED: A screen was erected to cover the graffiti vandalism at the bowls club that was being used as a polling station. (Tindle)

Contractors Balfour Beatty arrived a short time later and erected a fence and a screen to block out the offending graffiti.

County Councillor Ed O’Driscoll said that he had also spotted the graffiti while out walking his dog before any attempt had been made to remove the vandalism.

He said: “I utterly condone this sort of anti-social behaviour. I sincerely hope that those responsible are caught and duly prosecuted.”