A MAN who plastered a village with graffiti while drunk handed himself in to police when he sobered up and realised what he had done.

The graffiti appeared on buildings, bus stops, telephone boxes and road signs in Sacriston, near Chester-le-Street overnight last month (April).

PC Norman Foster, from Durham Police, said villagers awoke to find they had a “phantom artist” in their midst but the artwork was not the standard of renowned graffiti artist Banksy and “certainly did nothing to enhance the appearance of the village”.

Police began an investigation to find the person responsible and identified a 21-year-old local man, who admitted the offence and was full of remorse.

PC Foster, from the Chester-le-Street Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “The male informed me that he had carried out his artwork following a drunken spree over the weekend and on waking up the following day and walking into the village was horrified when he realised what he had done.

“As a result, the male happily volunteered to take part in righting his wrong by cleaning off the mess he had made, which has taken considerably longer than the dirty deed itself.”

The officer added: “This kind of behaviour, whether alcohol fuelled or not.

“However, the restorative approach taken by the male with the full agreement of those affected empowers communities to resolve local problems with the continued full support of Durham Police.

“We, as a police force, remain fully committed to protecting our communities from damage and harm and will continue to investigate fully any offences brought to our attention.”