CASH rewards of up to £500 are to be given out in return for helping the council catch prolific graffiti "tag" artists in Waltham Forest.

The campaign aims to cut the council's £500,000-a-year bill, footed by the taxpayer, on clearing 'unsightly and sometimes offensive' graffiti.

As part of the new 'Name that Tagger' scheme, to be launched on November 2, those who help to bring a successful prosecution could be in line for a substantial reward.

In the latest initiative under the 'Wipe Out Enviro Crime' campaign, the most common graffiti tags will be advertised to the public via the council website, who will then be asked to identify the culprits.

The authority has said it is not concerned about encouraging "taggers" despite widely publicising their work.

It also acknowledged the difficulty in bringing prosecutions and added the scheme was a way of enlisting the help of everyone in the borough.

Cabinet member for community safety, enforcement and protection Cllr Afzal Akram said: “Graffiti tags are ugly, wreck the appearance of a community and cost a fortune to remove.

"We want residents to help us track down the vandals responsible for graffiti so we can take tough action against them.”

The incentive falls under the authority's conviction reward scheme, announced in July.

Rewards start from £100 if a summons is issued and go up to £500 for a successful prosecution leading to the maximum penalty being issued.