FEARS have been raised that council budget cuts could leave the borough covered in graffiti.' Concerns were voiced after the Conservative cabinet announced plans to cut the number of graffiti removal teams operating in the borough from two to one.

Chadwell ward Councillor, Gary Staight, criticised the council for undermining' the future of one of its newest services.

He said: "What level of service can we expect from the graffiti removal service after it has been forced, due to insufficient budget, to reduce the number of teams from one to two?

"Parts of the borough are covered in graffiti and I'm concerned the problem will get worse if the service is not given sufficient resources to deal with it."

Cllr Staight, went on to criticise the council for unfairly penalising' small businesses in the borough by fining them for failing to clean up graffiti in the required time.

He said: "Lots of traders are unfortunate enough to be constantly targetted by graffiti and it is not fair to fine them for a problem they didn't cause."

This was backed by Church End ward Councillor, Richard Hoskins, who said the council should clean up its own property before penalising the public.

He said: "We need to get our own house in order before we start fining people for non-compliance."

Councillor Mark Aaron, cabinet member for community safety, claims a recent efficiency drive will ensure standards are maintained despite the cuts.

He said: "We have made significant improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the team and I am confident the level of service it provides will not be affected.

"We work hard to ensure that standards are maintained to a satisfactory standard and we monitor this continuously.

"We always ensure the public are given full and sufficient notice to clean graffiti from their premises before we issue fines."