IS IT really art? A question about graffiti that’s surely as old as the aerosol.

While British street artist Banksy may be feted worldwide, the spray-can daubers that blight our streets and buildings are no more than simple vandals.

Albeit highly stylised, most of us simply view their work as pictorial litter – and litter that’s hard to get rid of, too.

What a shame then that when the Olympic torch visits Oxford next month, its flame will illuminate a route much defaced with tags and spray paint.

Oxford City Council does a thankless job in attempting to eliminate this modern-day scourge, now every bit as prevalent in the countryside as it is in cities, but sadly (and ironically too), it’s a chore akin to painting the Severn Bridge.

Which is why all of us should get involved to report new outbreaks of it, as soon as they appear, to both council and police. Like a disease, it will simply get worse if left untreated.