The box in Albury’s Gertrude Colquhoun Park was yesterday wrapped in a picture of the city’s post office in a bid to prevent graffiti.

It is one of six Roads and Maritime Services and Essential Energy boxes being wrapped in pictures of Albury’s iconic landmarks this week.

Mayor Kevin Mack said the vinyl wrap had a wax coating that could be easily cleaned.

The box in the park cost the council $5000 while the other five, about $1000 each.

“It’s not an expensive project,” Cr Mack said.

“I think it’s a better look than a painted box or a graffitied box.

“I think people would rather see that than the tags that are products of some young people.”

Mr Mack said it cost more than $100,000 a year to maintain council property and clean up after vandals.

The wraps were created from photographs taken by Charles Sturt University students for a project in the early 2000s.

Along with the post office, wraps are also printed with pictures of the old arcade next to Belbridge Hague, the Belbridge Hague building and other landmarks in Kiewa Street.

Boxes near Sodens and the Albury Library Museum have already been covered and others located near the laundromat on the corner of Smollett and David streets, the corner of Swift and David streets and the train station end of Young Street are expected to be finished today.

“Graffiti artists have a code, you don’t paint over something that’s already been painted,” Mr Mack said.

“Having said that, some of them don’t have codes and we need to make sure we work with police and every other agency to try and rid our city and certainly rid Albury and Lavington of this problem because it is growing enormously and we have complaints every day now.

“When we get visitors to our city you don’t want graffiti to become second nature like in Sydney and Melbourne.

“You want our community to take ownership of their issues and deal with problems afflicting these young people.”

Mr Mack encouraged the community to report any acts of vandalism.