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With its vibrant nightclubs and 24-hour-a-day bagel offerings, Brick Lane is viewed as one of London’s most thriving tourist hotspots.
But sadly the Labour-run East End Spitalfields district is fast becoming known for something else.
Despite being frequented by thousands of visitors on a daily basis, even historic buildings are unsafe from the mindless vandalism blighting London’s graffiti capital.
Pictures reveal how almost every blank surface has been coated, as well as signs containing important information that have also not been spared.
Previously known as Whitechapel Lane, Brick Lane derives its current name from the brick and tile manufacturing that began in the 15th century, using local brick earth deposits.
Yet a surprisingly small amount of brick was actually visible when MailOnline went to take a look.
The first encounter in the area came on immediately exiting Whitechapel Station.
A sign which read: ‘Love Whitechapel? Keep it clean!’ had been ironically written over with black spray paint.
And turning right before walking a few yards there was a mural, that appeared to have been designed by children, which said: ‘Diversity makes a better society.’
The artwork – clearly intended as a thought-out ode to the ‘community spirit’ had been no less ironically vandalised by graffiti artists who could not care less.
Close by, next to rusted railings, a wall went into the history of the area but had now become illegible in parts.
The council says it ‘will remove offensive graffiti and flyposting within one working day of being notified’.
But just to the right of the historical wall there was another children’s mural where lewd images had been spray-painted.
Among the residents of Whitechapel to express their distaste at the graffiti are ‘Cockney Sikh’ Suresh Singh who was born and grew up in Brick Lane.
Mr Singh has spoken of how growing up ‘there was no graffiti’.
This comes as even the road’s iconic and historic beigel shops have not escaped the sickness.
Speaking of his experience, Mr Singh said: ‘It was considered dirty. I hate graffiti. I’m an architect – I love to see the brick, the patterns of the brick.
‘There are so many different patterns and people are putting graffiti on it. When people go, when you rip the soul out, the community goes.
‘My father said this land (Whitechapel) is cursed. Because it brewed beer and made people’s lives a misery.’
In September last year Brick Lane was covered in more rubbish than usual as business owners went on strike for higher pay – attracting rodents and making the area even more unsightly.
Shocking photos show the extent of the rubbish as it appears alongside the long-standing graffiti, with each accentuating the other.
In one photo a man walks solemnly past as not a single plain brick is visible.
Police insist they will ‘respond to allegations of criminal damage and, where possible, take positive action’ – but that removal of graffiti on a local authority venue is the council’s responsibility and on private property it is the property owner’s responsibility.
A Tower Hamlets spokesman said: ‘Council funded police teams and council enforcement officers patrol Whitechapel daily, engaging with local businesses and giving practical advice on safeguarding against crime. Regular patrols also provide visible community reassurance, which alone can be an effective deterrent against crime.’
The authority did not provide a specific response on the issue of graffiti.
It comes after sad photos last year showed the historic Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which began operating in 1570 and closed its doors in 2017, had been desecrated.
As well as Big Ben – the main bell in what is formally known as the Elizabeth Tower in Westminster – the foundry made the bells in St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
It also produced the original Liberty Bell, which is an icon of American independence and made new bells for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics.
A group who had been hoping to re-open it called the scene a ‘painful’ site.
This comes as folklore dictates you can only be a true Cockney if you were born within earshot of the bells.
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