THE owner of the Clutha Bar has vowed to help put an end to vandalism problems plaguing the city.

Alan Crossan, who also runs the Clutha Trust which was set up to advance the arts industry, has pledged his support to graffiti artists turning to vandalising important Glasgow buildings.

The charity has already helped dozens of struggling artists find their way, however, Alan insists the graffiti issue has increased throughout the city.

It comes after both the Clutha Trust building in Tradeston and the Stockwell Street pub were hit with vandalism.

Alan said: “We’ve been hammered with graffiti but we do help graffiti artists with murals.

“We’re looking to see if there’s a way to encourage them away from graffiti and into legal routes.

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“You find a lot of ones doing this are younger but, a lot of our mural guys are ex-graffiti people so, there’s a way out.”

He added: “It’s just getting a bit mental just now and with COP26 coming up it’s got to be tackled.”

The Clutha Bar featured a popular mural on the side of the building, which has been visited by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

However, it was revamped last year after the original artwork, which was created by Glasgow group Art Pistol, was damaged by poor weather conditions.

Currently, Alan is working with Keith Watson - a formerly homeless artist who worked out of a van to produce paintings - in a bid to help tackle the issue.

The duo are calling for Glasgow City Council to help offer “free” space to promote legal graffiti art in a bid to discourage illegal vandalism.

Keith said: “I’ve seen a lot of vandalism in the city and and really nice art that’s out there.

“The council has spent millions cleaning graffiti so, I started thinking could I create a project going to clean graffiti up and putting artwork up?

“There’s some really great artists out there, but there’s nowhere for them to do it legally.”

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A council spokeswoman said: “A free for all wall is not an answer to the ongoing problem the city has with graffiti and vandalism. Like any other kind of environmental damage, graffiti can be offensive, crude and can destroy communities and leave a lasting mark on our city.

“We already have a robust and measured programme in place for dealing with young people involved in anti-social behaviour through our Restorative Community Programme and there are lots of examples where using a restorative approach has worked.”