The graffiti artist who vandalised two murals in the town centre last week has apologised and the artworks have been repaired.

FROM LAST WEEK: Vandal defaces two murals on Davis House in High Street which were painted to promote Croydon street art

Last Thursday the Croydon Guardian reported that someone from the Croydon-based Kaos Crew had "tagged" over a pair of murals on the rooftop of Davis House in High Street.

The vandalism was condemned by those involved in setting up the "Croydon Arts Quarter", including Kevin Zuchowski-Morrison, owner of the Rise Gallery, who had commissioned the murals as part of the project.

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The mural on Davis House being cleaned

This week Mr Zuchowski-Morrison described how his contacts in the graffiti world helped to get the murals cleaned.

He said: "I sent a photograph to the intermediary that we have with the Kaos Crew, and said, 'I thought we were past all this.'"

Kaos Crew are also thought to be involved in vandalising a number of murals in St George's Walk in February.

But within hours of discovering the vandalism on Thursday, Mr Zuchowski-Morrison said, the graffiti writer who had tagged on the murals was round at the gallery to apologise.

The press attention given to the vandalism had made the writer feel guilty, Mr Zuchowski-Morrison said, adding: "Writer's mindsets and street artists' are two totally different categories. He was just up there to write and didn't really know or care what the murals were doing there."

The murals had been painted only weeks before by the street artist Dotmasters, at a cost of about £1,000.

After the graffitti artist apologised, Imran Beg, owner of the All City London shop in St George's Walk, offered to pay for and organise the clean up operation.

Mr Beg, who describes his shop as a “all-in-one hub for artists," said: “I went out on my own back, they didn’t ask me to do it. I want to work with Rise Gallery, he [Mr Zuchowski-Morrison] is putting the art forward.

"I sell some of the materials so I take the responsibility, so others don’t point the finger at me. I’d do it anywhere else, especially around St George’s Walk."

Mr Beg provided the paint two of his friends repaired the murals over the weekend. 

Mr Zuchowski-Morrison said: "They rectified the mural back to how it was and they have done a really good job of it. You wouldn't notice if you didn't know."

He said that the incident may have even had unintended benefits for the relationship between Croydon's art and graffiti communities, adding: "More understanding has come out of it. I think we both have more mutual respect. We're moving in the right direction.

"It's not just one person. The community is massive, it's a massive culture. Out of anyone, I'm the one trying to support all of you."

Mr Beg agreed, adding that he was unaware where the name "Kaos Crew" had come from; according to him, the crew's original name was "Krushing Competiton".

Of the name Kaos Crew, he said: "It gives the wrong impression."