AS a loyal citizen of this city, I wish to raise a major problem within this community which is not being adequately addressed.

For a variety of reasons graffiti/vandalism has increased so much that we virtually cannot go anywhere in this city without this ugly mess in our faces.

Our waterways, laneways, walking tracks, private properties, businesses, railway bridges, roadways and gardens are all affected and it is obvious that little is being done to prevent it or clean up the mess.

Police, council, railways, VicRoads, judiciary, Department of Corrections, businesses and the wider community need to come together to rectify this growing problem. This issue in our community needs someone to stand up and provide some leadership.

As a regular traveller around this country and overseas I have to say that graffiti vandalism in Ballarat and the Metro/V/Line entry to Melbourne is the worst I have seen. A recent visit to Bendigo revealed little if any graffiti.

Another point I wish to raise is the fact that a lot of the graffiti is connected to a certain group of teenagers in Ballarat.

I am also aware that the parents of these young people are aware of the situation and need to take a much stronger stance.

Do not ignore the fact that unwanted graffiti is a criminal offence which can have serious consequences.

While I understand that graffiti/vandalism is often difficult to police and as a community many people do not see it as a major problem, I have a different view and we need to get our act together in cleaning up this mess.