Obscene graffiti spoiling Margaret Mahy Family Playground

Skid marks remain on the Margaret Mahy Family Playground in spite of an attempt to remove them. Photo / Star Kiwi

Graffiti showing male genitalia is ruining young families' trips to the Margaret Mahy Family Playground.

Mother-of-three Lauren Tyrrell, who takes her sons Ollie, Finn and Lincoln to the playground as a treat, said the marks, thought to have been made by Lime scooters on the playground's pavers, are awful.

"This kind of spoils it. It's such a shame, it's such a nice playground," she said.

"It'll just be some young d*** ruining it for someone else."

She said the marks made the playground look "tacky" and they should be removed as soon as possible.

"Some kids would be old enough to look at that and know what it is."

The graffiti did not come off after the city council attempted to remove it with a water blaster, a spokesperson said.

"The marks remain in place. We are continuing to explore options to resolve this," the spokesperson said.

Pavers and footpaths around the city have had similar black marks left on them since the Californian e-scooter company launched the service in October. As well as the Margaret Mahy playground, marks have been left at Hagley Park, Victoria Square and on a number of streets.

However, the city council has no plans to get rid of the marks, other than those at the playground.

City council manager city streets maintenance Mark Pinner said scuff or skids marks originate from many sources, including skateboards, scooters (not only Lime scooters) and bicycles.

"These marks often wear off over time," he said.

Lime did not respond to questions from The Star.

- star.kiwi