CONTROVERSIAL street poet Danny Lake has publicly burned an anti-social behaviour notice in an act of contempt after the council attempted to stamp out his chalk scrawlings on the pavements.

On Thursday afternoon police and council officers handed him notice that they would be taking him through the courts if he didn’t stop his antics, but Danny is wilfully ignoring the order.

Action has been taken after thousands of pounds in cleaning costs were racked up by the authority and complaints were receieved from local businesses. Repeated requests to Danny to stop have been ignored.

Danny, 29, said he is unfazed by the order and will carry on his scribblings regardless.

“It was explained to me that they are going to be taking me through the magistrates court at some point in the foreseeable future to get an Asbo to prevent me from chalking in the town centre,” he said.

“The problem is the Asbo doesn’t exist any more, so they can either slap me with a criminal behaviour order or a civil injunction. The criminal behaviour order won’t work because I am not committing a criminal act.

“There can be no jail for breaching the injunction, so I am just going to keep doing it.

“It is tax payers money they will be wasting by pursuing this.

“Two PCSOs came up and gave me the letter explaining they would be pursuing the Asbo. It specifically said it would prevent me from writing poetry or any other musings, but they haven’t specified anything I have done that is abusive or causing distress or alarm.

“As far as I am concerned they are just being silly with this and wasting tax payers’ money by bothering to chase this up.

“They claim they have spent thousands of pounds on cleaning, but when I do it it takes me 10 or 20 minutes and a bucket of water.

“They are also claiming they have had complaints from traders that I am stopping people going into shops. I don’t think some writing on the floor is going to stop someone booking their holidays.

“I burned the paper more as a protest, and the council officer wasn’t too happy when he saw that. It was the best way to show contempt so I burned it.”

Swindon Council says Danny’s act of defiance will not save him from court proceedings.

“We have had many complaints about Mr Lake’s behaviour from members of the public and town centre businesses,” said a spokesman.

“He’s now been given a warning letter from ourselves and the police which asks him to desist from his anti-social behaviour and to stop writing on the town centre paving.

“The letter also made it clear to him that we that if he ignores our request we have the option to apply to a court for an Asbo. Burning the letter is not going to make that fact go away.”