Following an ongoing investigation into graffiti offences, the British Transport Police (BTP) visited the property of a suspected vandal.

245 offences of criminal damage, costing over £257,000, have occurred to Northern Line trains between 2022 and 2026.

On the 9th January, their Operational Support Unit forced entry to a property in North London.

On suspicion of criminal damage, the 48-year-old man was arrested and taken into police custody.

While investigations continue, the man has been released on bail until there is further information.

“This arrest is a significant moment in our ongoing investigation into the vandalism of a huge number of trains, with the cost of repairing the damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“We are committed to working with our rail partners to stamp out this destruction of rail property which has huge financial implications for the rail industry.

“Far from being a victimless crime, graffiti damage has a knock-on effect for rail users and commuters causing frustrating delays and inconvenience while trains are taken out of service to be cleaned. It is also extremely dangerous to access a live railway and can result in serious injury or, in some cases, death.

“Our officers carry out proactive patrols and specialised operations to target and arrest offenders, including the use of wide-reaching CCTV across the network to identify suspects.

“Investigations like this are at the forefront of BTP’s mission to tackle graffiti across the network.”

BTP Superintendent John Loveless