Dartford residents say chocolate-themed vandalism is taking the quality out of their streets
5 postboxes around Dartford have been redecorated a chocolate treats, but the fresh wave of graffiti has left some residents feeling anything but sweet.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
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00:00When some say life is like a box of chocolates, they probably weren't referring to post boxes.
00:07On the residential streets around Dartford, letter boxes have been given a new lick of
00:12paint.
00:14One being repackaged as a whisper wrapper and others decorated like Mars bars and stenciled
00:20with the Twirl logo.
00:22One of those five post boxes which has been vandalised is here at Temple Hill Square.
00:28It's been painted like a Mars bar and the business behind me, Zaza Barbers, is concerned
00:36that residents could be confused by the different colours.
00:40I think you should go back to normal red colour.
00:44They think it's not working anymore and they walk away.
00:47Because I'm a barbershop here and I see them, they're coming up there, close and after they
00:53just walk away.
00:55This is not the first time that Dartford's post boxes have been vandalised.
00:59I'm standing next to a golden post box on East Hilt that was one of more than 20 post
01:05boxes vandalised earlier this year in a separate spray painting spree.
01:12It's not yet known who is behind the latest spate of post box repaintings or the cost
01:18of the recent illegal wrapper revamps.
01:22But residents are divided about whether this vandalism is cause for celebrations.
01:29It's just, it's giving a bad name for it and, you know, not be fair, you don't see it anywhere
01:35else.
01:36It just makes for more of a fun day, if you know what I mean, it brightens your day up.
01:44It's not too bad, as long as it ain't really vandalising it, you can't really see what's
01:49going on in there, but I think it shouldn't be done anyway, but then I think people like
01:54banks shouldn't be allowed to do things on walls.
01:57Royal Mail say that they are aware of the vandalism and have carried out initial inquiries
02:02to understand its scale.
02:05They say they'll be carrying out further investigation and have been in contact with the police.
02:11But Kent Police say that Royal Mail has not formally reported these incidents and therefore
02:17can't provide any further details.
02:20Regardless of who's behind the recent vandalism, it's clear that the new chocolate look to
02:26Temple Hills post boxes has left a bad taste in the mouths of those who live here.
02:33Oliver Lewis, The Sats for KMTV, in Dartford.