Graffiti artist who transformed bollards into giant cigarettes sparks row and leaves families fuming
A mystery graffiti artist has left locals fuming after they painted bollards to look like giant cigarettes.
The three pillars on Hythe Road, Swindon, were covered in white and orange paint to very realistically replicate the tobacco product.
The 'cigarette' bollards have divided residents, with some saying it is 'funny' while others insist they are 'disgusting'.
Some said it is a 'brilliant idea' and thanked the anonymous artist for 'making the area look a bit better'.
One person said: 'I probably would've preferred it not to be cigarettes if given the choice, but honestly it looks much better than it did when they were just bollards, so I'm all in favour of it.'
Another added: 'I hope they're allowed to stay as they are, it's a fun little joke and it isn't harming anyone.
'I would love to see more stuff like this happen all over town and hope that artists who want to use their time and resources are encouraged to do things like this rather than stopped.'
A third person said: 'Very funny, to be honest. Hope they stay.'
Another added: 'Disgusting.'
A fifth person said: 'Pathetic who's stupid idea was this.'
Meanwhile, others have encouraged the person behind the transformation to keep their identity hidden.
A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: 'We love street art in Swindon and this is certainly a very unusual choice of design.
'We don't want to stub out the flame of this artist's creativity, but the artwork obviously doesn't align with the efforts of our Public Health team to get people to quit smoking.
'We very much hope that passers-by who have kicked the habit don't develop old cravings, but, if they do, we'd encourage them and any other smokers to visit the Council's website and search 'Stop Smoking Services' for a range of advice and support.'
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