‘This mural was never just paint on a wall, it was a tribute to the dedication of local people’
A Hessle mural has been ‘defaced’ with graffiti leaving locals shocked by the ‘disrespectful’ act. Humber Rescue shared a post on social media to highlight the disappointment that ‘something so positive’ has been treated ‘with such disregard’.
The mural on the walls of the tunnel near the Black Mill proudly features Humber Rescue, but recently the artwork has been vandalised with graffiti. Humber Rescue shared their dismay at the vandalism in a Facebook post – and their followers jumped on the comment, angrily naming the culprits ‘morons’.
Local artist Emma Garness created the mural, and was inspired by Humber Rescue’s team of volunteers and the important lifesaving work they carry out on the Humber. The vandalism has been described as “deeply disrespectful to the artist” by the life-saving team, while others said it was “disgusting” and “sad” to see the graffiti on the mural.
The post by Humber Rescue reads: “We’re incredibly disappointed to share that the mural in the tunnel near the Black Mill, which proudly features Humber Rescue, has been vandalised with graffiti. Created by local artist Emma Garness, the mural was inspired by our team of volunteers and the lifesaving work we carry out on the Humber.
“Emma spent time with us, capturing the people and spirit behind Humber Rescue, not just the equipment, but the commitment and teamwork that keeps us operational. To see this mural defaced is not only frustrating, but also deeply disrespectful to the artist, our volunteers, and the wider Hessle community.
“This mural was never just paint on a wall, it was a tribute to the dedication of local people. And it’s a shame to see something so positive treated with such disregard.”
Those commenting shared their anger at the act of vandalism with one describing the graffiti as ‘despicable’. Another said they would ‘love to see a post’ with the culprit ‘scrubbing and cleaning it down’, one local shared how much the mural has been ‘admired by so many’ since it first went up on the tunnel walls.
Emma Garness is popular with locals and her artwork is described as ‘brilliant’ by her fans. She works with local organisations to create beautiful murals in the local area.
People are already offering to get a ‘clean up crew together’ to get the tunnel mural back to its correct state after the vandalism. One local person said: “I’m sure people wouldn’t mind giving some time to help clean, it was admired by so many – we loved looking at it when we were down there for the fundraiser.”
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