A PICTURESQUE town is under attack from graffiti yobs.
Vandals have spray painted their ‘tags’ on many of Holmfirth’s buildings, including the post office, Co-op supermarket and the building which houses electrical firm Sicame, off Huddersfield Road.
But the worst hit has been Holmfirth Cricket Club, off Huddersfield Road.
The club has suffered from graffiti attacks for several years.
But since the last cricket season ended in September the club’s buildings – its clubhouse, scorebox and equipment shed – have been covered in graffiti.
Club chairman David Whiteley says he is now installing CCTV to catch the vandals in the act.
Mr Whitely said: “We’ve had graffiti for the last couple of years. At the end of every cricket season we shut down and clear the site and that’s when it happens.
“We don’t bother painting it again because at the end of the season it starts all over. It cost us £200 to £300 to paint every year.
“We don’t want to stop families walking through with their children even though there’s no right of way. We could shut it off altogether but we don’t want to be peevish.
“We’ve thought about putting up cameras that work 24 hours a day. We’re hoping to get them up soon.”
The majority of tags – with the letters DVS – are believed to be the work of one culprit.
The tag has also been sprayed in parts of Honley.
Mr Whiteley said: “We think we know who it is. I’ve caught someone doing it before.”
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “We are aware of the graffiti damage that has affected buildings in the town and are actively investigating the problem.
“While our enquiries are ongoing, we are confident that people in the community know who is responsible for these crimes and we would appeal for these people to contact either the Valleys Neighbourhood Policing Team direct via 101, or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.
“West Yorkshire Police also has a Graffiti Alerts page on the photo sharing website, Flickr, where repeat graffiti offenders’ tags are posted online. The page can be accessed via www.flickr.com/photos/westyorkshiregraffitialerts
“Anyone who knows who is responsible for the tags on the site is also asked to contact the police.”
