Combating the scourge of graffiti on the streets of Norwich has been made a policing priority for the next three months, it has emerged.

The Evening News Graffitibusters campaign, supported by Norwich police along with Norwich City Council, the Central Norwich Citizens Forum and the Norwich City Centre Partnership, was launched earlier this year. It has already attracted dozens of volunteers, armed with brushes, to attend paint-out sessions.

The campaign was launched after the City Centre Safer Neighbourhood policing team (SNT) agreed to make graffiti one of its priorities earlier the summer.

And the crackdown is set to continue after the latest meeting of the city centre's Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel (SNAP), which agreed to extend it.

But in the long-term, bosses of the SNAP are looking for members of the public to take responsibility for cleaning up graffiti in their part of the city.

Julian Foster, chairman of the city centre SNAP, said: 'I said let's keep it a priority for the next three months which enables us to use the police.

'After that the residents, as far as possible and where they're able to, will take over the responsibility. We said each residents' group in the city should take their part of the city and volunteer to look after it themselves and we will supply with paint and brushes and if necessary help them.

'We very definitely want to encourage the residents to take over responsibility for it.'

The latest paint out takes place at the bandstand in Chapelfield Gardens from 6pm tonight.