“It’s like living in a gallery, the street art is beautiful and vibrant but the tagging makes the area feel unloved and uncared for,” Brighton resident Emma Humphries said.
Humphreys is one of a group of locals armed with rollers and buckets of paint cleaning up graffiti tags from the North Laine area in the city.
The colourful, bohemian area is known for its street art, including Banksy’s famous 2004 Kissing Coppers mural.
Humphreys, who is part of North Laine Community Association, said: “We have residents whose houses get tagged again and again, every time they go to sleep. They’re distressed – they’re really anxious about it.