Cable firm NTL has promised to clean graffiti from its roadside cabinets in Worthing after The Argus got on to the case.

Vandals have targeted the green communications cabinets in almost every street, spraying them with personal 'signatures' known as tags.

Sheila Player, leader of Worthing Borough Council, wrote to NTL asking the company to mount a clean-up campaign but more than three weeks later she has still not received a reply. So we stepped in to demand they solve the problem.

Councillor Player said she wasn't impressed by the firm's failure to respond.

She said: "We are not allowed to clean up NTL boxes without their permission.

"We also offered to bring them in on a partnership basis, which they weren't interested in."

An NTL spokeswoman today apologised for the delay in replying, blaming a recent change in top-level management of the company.

She added: "I will certainly get somebody on to it as a priority. It is our equipment and our image. It is important that we keep these things clean.

"We do send crews out to clean the boxes but the moment we remove the graffiti it reappears. It's an ongoing thing and some areas are worse than others.

"I apologise to Coun Player. It is down to a change of personnel at the top end."

She said David Thatcher, south-east regional managing director of NTL, would send a reply.

The council also plans to put pressure on Network Rail to erase graffiti from its property.

Last autumn the council launched a major campaign to remove unsightly wall-scrawling and it plans to step up the battle in the coming months.

In addition, the Government is looking at legislation which could force companies such as NTL to remove graffiti from its property without being prompted to do so.