GLASGOW residents have said they saw "no evidence" of extra graffiti removal during the Commonwealth Games despite organisers funding hundreds of hours of additional work.
Glasgow City Council's Graffiti Removal Team worked an additional 231 hours across weekends in the run-up to and during the Games, according to information obtained by The National through an Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) request.
The council confirmed the costs associated with the additional work were met by Glasgow 2026 Ltd, the company responsible for delivering the Commonwealth Games.
However, none of the five community councils contacted by The National said they had noticed an increase in graffiti removal in their areas.
One representative said the service had actually been "even worse than it usually is", while others questioned why more money wasn’t being spent year round on keeping the city clean.
Colin Price, secretary of Thornwood Community Council, said: "We have seen no evidence of extra graffiti removal in our community.
"If anything, graffiti removal has been even worse than it usually is."
Irene Loudon, chair of Blythswood and Broomielaw Community Council, also said she had not noticed any additional graffiti removal.
She said the council should be "spending money year round to keep the city clean – not just when visitors arrive".
Tricia Fort, of Calton Community Council, similarly said she had not noticed any increase in cleaning around the Games.
Garnethill residents, who have struggled with high levels of graffiti in recent years, also told The National that they had not benefited from the extra hours spent on graffiti cleaning.
The 231 additional hours of graffiti removal are equivalent to almost 29 eight-hour working days.
The findings come after concerns were raised in the months leading up to the Games over the appearance of Glasgow's streets as the city prepared to welcome athletes and visitors from around the world.
During a council committee meeting in January, councillor Imran Alam questioned whether a specific cleaning operation would be carried out ahead of the event.
He said: "We are hosting the Commonwealth Games this year.
"Do we have a cleaning initiative in place to bring the city back to a standard required to host such a big event of this standard?"
A council officer said there would not be a "magic deep clean" ahead of the Games.
The Games brought athletes and supporters from 74 nations to Glasgow, with First Minister John Swinney saying after the closing ceremony that visitors had experienced Scotland's "world-class hospitality".
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "Graffiti removal is an on-going activity regardless of the Commonwealth Games being held in the city."
