A New Forest MP is calling for a new campaign aimed at wiping graffiti off the face of the New Forest.

Dr Julian Lewis is seeking early talks with New Forest District Council in the hope of setting up a rapid response system which will smother the trademarks of the graffiti vandals.

He knows the daubers thrive on seeing their 'tags' on different buildings and he wants those symbols covered up as quickly as possible.

"The action I want to see from the authorities is to put arrangements into place whereby obliteration is immediate.

"It is a problem that is just beginning and it will get worse. Unless very determined action is taken, you will end up spending a lot more money and having a lousy environment ."

He said he had found the council "very responsive" to his calls in the past, when it set up a hotline whereby people could report graffiti several years ago.

One of the aims will be to ask the district to obtain "once and for all" approval from the utilities - phone boxes and other publicly-owned installations are often targeted - so it can send in staff at the earliest opportunity to paint over graffiti.

"I have noticed that if graffiti is left on a surface for a long time before it is removed, it will be done again very quickly. But if you remove or cover it straight away, it is less likely that they will some back."

He is also suggesting the possibility of having by-laws allowing the council to post a notice on a graffiti-daubed building and then have the power to go in and take the necessary removal of painting-over action.

But he is also stressing the importance of photographing trademarks before they are removed so they can be linked with a culprit if he is caught.

His calls have been welcomed by NFDC's crime and disorder portfolio holder Goff Beck, who said: "I am very keen to discuss these issues with him and I would support anything that can help us in overcoming this problem."

But he added that the council already put a considerable amount of effort into removing graffiti.