PROPERTY owners have been left counting the cost after a wave of graffiti in Portishead.

Clean-up bills are expected to run in to hundreds of pounds after more than a dozen homes in The Village Quarter, Severn Road, Avon Way and Mendip Road areas were subject to red and blue tagging on exterior walls. Empty office blocks in Martingale Road have also been tagged.

The culprits have sprayed words including dreamcatcher, normal and subzero, using line marking spray cans, which police believe may have come from any one of the building sites in the town.

One of the cans has been recovered and has been sent for crime scene investigation examination.

Homeowner Pat Gordan who had the side of her house in Severn Road defaced with bright red writing said: “This is very upsetting, I have lived in this house for more than 35 years and have never experienced any trouble.

“It is unsettling to know people have come right up to the property, probably while I was inside, and vandalised it like this.”

Most of the damage was carried out on February 7 between 7-9pm and police say they are looking for at least two suspects.

Case officer PC Matthew Christie from Portishead Police Station said: “Vandalism will not be tolerated in Portishead and graffiti on private property is totally unacceptable.

“The police will do everything in their power to catch the culprits and deal with them robustly.”

The Portishead graffiti incident happened just days before overhead signs on the southbound carriageway of the M5 near Portbury were defaced with a DBK tag.

Anyone with information about either incident should contact the police on 0845 456 7000 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.