IF East Oxford’s newest graffiti menace wanted the police’s attention they certainly went about it the right way.

Officers were stunned to see BWS! sprayed in large letters across a portable building they use for storing gear in Cowley Road.

And the “tag” SOAK BWS was also sprayed in Hertford Street and Leopold Street overnight on Sunday.

The vandalism will remind residents and businesses of the Soak tag that plagued East Oxford in 2010.

Earlier this year, graffiti tagger Charlie Silver, then 21 and of no fixed address, had to pay £200 after admitting one of four ‘Soak’ crimes he was charged with.

The remaining three counts were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

East Oxford neighbourhood Sgt Nathan Budd said: “This graffiti is destructive and offensive to many people who have woken up to find their neighbouring shops and buildings defaced.

“We are searching the areas around the graffiti sites for any forensic evidence, checking CCTV and conducting house-to-house enquiries which will hopefully lead to the perpetrator.

“We are also plotting the sites of the graffiti to create a pattern of behaviour and targeting potential sites with extra patrols.”

He said a meeting would be held with residents to help “curb this destructive and upsetting activity”.

Businesses said they hoped the appearance of the newest tags were not the start of a new wave of attacks.

Christian Buinariu, manager of the Verde pizzeria on Cowley Road, said: “We are targeting families, we are not targeting students and this kind of stuff puts them off.

“It makes the place look bad.”

Shams O’Muyiwa, who runs The Leys Pharmacy, said: “I hope it is not the beginning.

“I really hope they won’t start targeting businesses.

“It is going to cost a lot if we have to start dealing with it.”

Eddie Kehoe, a director at Magdalen Road’s Electric Transport Shop, opposite the Hertford Street graffiti, said: “It definitely doesn’t look good, it isn’t artistic.”

Each year Oxford City Council spends £100,000 removing graffiti.

Anyone with information should contact Sgt Budd on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Graffiti has been cleared from a much-loved Botley mural, quashing fears it could have to be painted over.

The Highways Agency removed the damage from an underpass at the A34 at Montagu Road in the last few days.

It previously warned it could have to paint over the 1989 mural – which depicts Oxford scenes – if the paint would not come off.