'Talentless' graffiti vandals target old subway carriages

The owner of 10 old orange Glasgow subway carriages has hit out after a number of them were targeted by "talentless" graffiti vandals.

Joe Mulholland is planning to use them for part of a restaurant and as workshops in the Finnieston area of the city.

A number of the carriages were sold to private individuals and charities after being taken out of service last year. They have been bought by nurseries, an art centre and a restaurateur.

Police Scotland said inquiries into the vandalism were ongoing.

Mr Mulholland, who owns the Hidden Lane in Finnieston, said he was now facing a cleaning bill of "several thousand pounds" after the carriages were defaced over the course of a week.

He told BBC Scotland News: "The actual graffiti I would say is talentless. It's not as if you would say 'oh that's interesting we'll keep that'. There's nothing we would like to keep.

"I feel very angry. It would be bad enough if there were some talent being shown in it instead of just to destroy things that were very elegant in themselves.

"It has made carriages which were very elegant look cheap and tawdry."

Mr Mulholland said the culprits entered through a locked gate and also damaged security cameras at the site.

He added: "If it had been Banksy that had put it on, I probably would have considered keeping it but none of these are on the same planet as Banksy."

Mr Mulholland is one of a number of people who took the opportunity to buy the old carriages after they were replaced by newer models.

Contractors Stadler Rail put the old carriages up for sale for £5,000 and agreed to waive the fee for charities.

They were taken in by nurseries, an art centre and a restaurateur.

Mr Mulholland bought 10 carriages and is seeking planning permission to turn some of them into a restaurant, in the former Finnieston train station building, and others into workshop spaces.

He said people had "huge affection" for the carriages and he felt it was important to preserve the structures.

"I just thought this was a great thing to keep for Glasgow," he continued.

"This is part of Glasgow's history but it is also part of the day to day life of the ordinary people of Glasgow, from every walk of life they've all travelled on the subway."