A LOCAL artist and community group have brightened up a York footbridge as part of a wider project to tackle graffiti.

Network Rail said graffiti was unpleasant but cleaning it cost millions of pounds and staff had had to paint over graffiti on Love Lane bridge over the East Coast Main Line multiple times.

It had therefore commissioned East Riding Voluntary Action Services and artist Emma Garness to design and paint artwork for the bridge, which included mallard ducks to represent the nearby nature reserve, Hob Moor.

Emma said painting the 40 metre footbridge had been a ''breath of fresh air.'

She said: "Under normal circumstances, I would have involved the local community in the painting of this mural.

“The next best thing I could do was to connect it with references to the immediate location - the mallard ducks on Hob Moor and the 1,000 bluebell bulbs planted by volunteers in November on Little Hob Moor. These two areas are enjoyed by the local community.

“All of these visual connections help make this footbridge a light, positive and bright place to walk across. Whist painting it, I had some lovely conversations with the local families who have told me how much they appreciate the work.”

Devan Witter BEM, Engagement and Development Officer for East Riding Voluntary Action Services, said: “We are really pleased with the results of the ongoing community arts project in York that has been commissioned by Network Rail.

“Love Lane is one of the areas which has been identified as a graffiti hotspot and we teamed up with Emma Garness to tackle this issue and brighten up the local community. The positive comments so far have been fantastic.”

The project follows the work completed in January at Temple Lane road bridge in Copmanthorpe.


Cllr Rachel Melly said that she and Cllr Kallum Taylor were ward councillors for Holgate ward, where the bridge sits, and had been working with Network Rail for a long time to make improvements to it.

She said: "We hope local residents will enjoy the new artwork when they walk to school, work, or for leisure. We want people to be able to take pride in their local area, and this beautiful new artwork will contribute to that."

Cllr Taylor said: "We will continue to work constructively with Network Rail to make this bridge and other access routes as safe and usable as possible. We continue to push for better lighting so this key route can be safe for everyone."

*If you see someone graffitiing on the railway, please report it to the British Transport Police by calling 0800 40 50 40 or texting 61016. You can also call Network Rail’s 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.