Inverclyde election candidate hits out at vandal after posters splattered with paint

AN Inverclyde election hopeful has hit out at a vandal who doused his political posters in paint.

Independent candidate John Burleigh was stunned when three of his posters which had been displayed in a Greenock town centre shop were defaced.

Mr Burleigh has obtained CCTV footage of the incident which clearly shows an individual carrying a pot of paint across the road, and throwing its contents onto the windows in front of the posters.

The incident took place just after 11pm on Saturday after the posters had been up for around a week.

Although the windows have now been cleaned, paint still remains on the pavement, and in the middle of the road where the rest of the contents of the paint pot were dumped.

(Image: John Burleigh)
Mr Burleigh said the incident shows that people are concerned about the success of his campaign.

He added: "They've taken a very extreme measure in response to something they disagree with.

"It's a matter of vandalism.

"What else are they capable of? It's very concerning.

"If they were trying to hit my face, they missed."

The Telegraph understands that it took the owners of the shop around four hours to clear the paint off the windows.

Independent candidate Burleigh has presented the CCTV footage to staff at Greenock police station.

(Image: Duncan Bryceland)

He claims he was told that dousing windows with paint would be treated as a 'minor offence' and that no arrests would be made.

Mr Burleigh said the reaction he claims to have received from staff 'highlights' what he says in his manifesto about crime across Inverclyde.

He said the vandalism has made him even more determined to take his campaign forward.

Mr Burleigh added: "It's made me even more passionate about what I'm standing for and made me even more committed to what's ahead.

"I do believe the issues I'm running on are not palatable to some people.

"I like to think that this will embolden me."