Social media is fuelling a resurgence in graffiti as artists compete for recognition and fame by posting photographs of their work online often without worrying that the original will be destroyed or painted over.

New “high-tech graffiti artists” are using picture websites like Instagram to gain global recognition, as well as technology such as drones that serve as lookouts to try to prevent police catching them.

Graffiti on trains has hit an eight-year high in the UK, with many images then being posted on social media. In the first quarter of 2018 there were 399 graffiti attacks on trains, the highest quarterly figure since the first quarter of 2010, according to figures obtained from the British Transport Police using Freedom of information laws.

The surge in graffiti on the railway networks has forced the British Transport Police to reintroduce a dedicated CID team to specifically investigate graffiti crime.

Trains operated by Southeastern Rail have been among those most frequently targeted by graffiti artists.