A COMPROMISE allowing chalk poet Danny Lake to continue scrawling in the town centre has been signed after all parties got around the table last week in a bid to avoid court proceedings.

Last month, Swindon Borough Council issued Danny notice that if he did not desist writing on the Regent Street pavement slabs, they would be forced to pursue the matter through the courts.

The notice was publicly burned in front of officers, and rather than take the step of attempting to impose an anti-social behaviour order on Danny, last Thursday the council and police invited him to come to an arrangement.

After the authority claimed it was being forced to spend thousands of pounds cleaning the coloured chalk off the pavement, the deal included a bucket and brush for him to clean up after himself at the end of the day.

The agreement, signed by Danny, community beat manager PC Paul Bezzant, and Swindon council’s anti-social behaviour investigator Jerry Law, said: “With reference to the issues we have encountered due to your actions of writing on the pavements in Swindon town centre it has been decided that a formal agreement should be made between you, Wiltshire Police and Swindon Borough Council.

“You will be allowed to write in a designated area in Wharf Green. This will be marked over a fairly large area and will allow you to write as you do at the moment.

“You will provide, or be provided, with a bucket and brush to enable you to brush away your writing at the end of the day; not to use foul or abusive language in any public place in the borough of Swindon towards any person and not to act in any way which causes, or is likely to cause, alarm distress or harassment.”

The council said the deal was conditional on Danny reining in some of the language he uses and not to deviate from areas approved for his work beforehand.

“The police and council will always try to reach an agreement with people in preference to court action, which is the approach we have taken in discussions with Mr Lake,” said a spokesman.

“We have agreed to set aside an area in Wharf Green where Mr Lake will be able to continue to write on the paving when the area is not being used for other activities.

“In return he has agreed to brush away his writing at the end of the day, and that he will no longer use offensive words or argue with passers-by who happen to disagree with his views.

“We hope this will prove to be a sensible compromise.”

Danny said: “I will from now on make my own arrangements with regards cleaning my poetry up and will seek guidance from the Public Order Act only with regards what is and is not offensive, alarming or distressing.

“I am as always willing to talk this through and will endeavour to address concerns regarding cleaning and the language I choose to use so as not to cause any unnecessary issues.”