A SPATE of more than 50 graffiti tags have sprung up across Leigh.

The bright green and orange tags, which bear the words Mask and NH for nasty habit, have been daubed across walls in Belfairs Park, the cinder path along the seafront, Manchester Drive, and along Prittlewell brook in the past couple of weeks.

PC Phil Collie, neighbourhood specialist officer for Belfairs, has taken more than 50 photographs as evidence. He said: “People don’t report it but it’s absolutely everywhere. It would be nice to know who is responsible for it.”

PC Collie said the tags had sprung up in the last two weeks and had been spotted up to the Westcliff boundary.

Ian Robertson, Southend councillor responsible for public protection and waste, said the council spends £400,000 on cleaning graffiti in a year.