Edinburgh Victoria Street targeted by vandals as police investigate
Police Scotland said it had received a report of the vandalism and inquiries were ongoing.
Victoria Street is popular among tourists and influencers for its colourful buildings and cobblestone pavement.
(Image: Getty Images) It is often cited as an inspiration for the fictional Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series.
Shopkeepers have said that the street, which links George IV bridge and the Grassmarket, has been "wrecked" after the "absolutely mindless" vandalism.
Andrew McRae, who owns three shops on Victoria Street, told BBC News: "I've been doing business in the Old Town for a number of years and I've never seen anything on this kind of scale before with one street being so badly targeted and damaged.
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"Victoria Street is one of the most picturesque and beautiful streets in the city if not Scotland and a great deal of time and effort is spent by the independent business owners to keep it in that condition.
"So to come in to work and see this trail of destruction – I was very shocked and it was very demoralising."
Another shop owner, John Bowman, told the broadcaster: "I was annoyed like everyone else would be when I saw the graffiti. I've had to buy paint to cover it up as it won't clean off.
"It's not good for tourism. The authorities should do something about it but they won't."
Part of the graffiti attack at the weekend saw the 900-year-old St Giles' Cathedral targeted as well as other monuments and stone buildings in the Old Town, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Removing graffiti from historical buildings is a difficult task and can require specialist equipment and knowledge to do so without damaging the building.
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Stephen Jenkinson, City of Edinburgh Council's environment convener, said: "First and foremost, defacing any building with graffiti is a criminal offence and I'd encourage anyone with any information on the culprits to contact the police.
"This type of mindless behaviour damages the local environment for everyone, whether they be residents or visitors, and wastes time and money on removing it.
"We've invested in a dedicated graffiti team who will be happy to offer advice to private owners on how best to deal with it and, if requested, to remove it (on a cost recovery basis)."
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