More UCI complaints as residents call for graffiti clean-up in Harrogate

The fallout from the controversial UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate which ended six weeks ago shows no signs of damping down.
Some of the graffiti daubed on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.Some of the graffiti daubed on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.
Some of the graffiti daubed on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

To add to the lengthy list of complaints over the various side-effects of this nine-day international cycling event comes a new one - leftover graffiti on parts of the town centre cycling circuit in Harrogate as used by the top riders and seen by millions of viewers worldwide.

Daubed on Harlow Moor Road and Cornwall Road by what is thought to have been visiting fans, volunteer members of the Stray Defence Association say the large faces, names and arrows amounted not only to vandalism but were also potentially dangerous.

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The SDA's chair Judy d'Arcy-Thompson said: "During the UCI cycling event these two roads had large amounts of graffiti, in the form of numerous white cartoon-like faces painted on both sides of the road, at approximately a metre apart.

More of the graffiti daubed on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.More of the graffiti daubed on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.
More of the graffiti daubed on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

"In addition, the white line down the centre of the road had large and frequent arrows painted onto it, pointing, I assume, in the direction the cyclists in the event were travelling.

"It's not only unsightly but these illegal road markings are potentially hazardous."

Harrogate Council fears it may not get Crescent Gardens money backThe SDA have voiced their concern to the highways department at North Yorkshire County Council.

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In their eyes, with the Stray still fence off, it is just one more reason why the international cycling event was more about negatives than positives for Harrogate.

Judy d'Arcy-Thompson said: "The graffiti is all part of the ever-increasing cost of cleaning up after this UCI event which is compounding the felony in many people's eyes.

"It is adding insult to injury that the local ratepayer seems the likeliest source of revenue to pay for it all."

It is believed that North Yorkshire County Council is now doing a general audit of all the graffiti to formulate a general removal plan in due course.