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A New Brighton retailer has denied involvement in graffiti on the walls of a nearby hardware shop.
Rightway DIY on Victoria Road in New Brighton was vandalised over the weekend with graffiti. Staff were greeted by the pink and blue paint when they arrived for work on September 21.
'Flying Dutchman Shop Local' was scrawled across the building, which led to speculation on social media that The Flying Dutchman Store was involved, according to the Wirral Globe.
The Flying Dutchman is another local hardware store, about an 11-minute walk away.
In a statement on social media, The Flying Dutchman Stores said: "We're upset to see the damage caused by graffiti at Rightway. No local business should have to deal with this. The Flying Dutchman Stores had absolutely nothing to do with it. Suggestions linking us to the damage are untrue, and we condemn what happened."
The statement continued: "Rightway is a fellow local business. We hope the damage can be put right quickly, and we ask people to support them and all the independent shops that make New Brighton what it is. If anyone has information about what happened, please pass it to the police rather than spread speculation online."
David Clarke, Rightway's managing director, told the Wirral Globe how shaken the incident had left his staff.
He said: "I had two people in tears yesterday over it because they considered it their store. The team there consider the store to be their own store, and that's part of our employee ownership model as well."
However, Mr Clarke also made it clear he didn't believe The Flying Dutchman business or their staff were involved.
Speaking on the vandalism, he said: "I don't, for a minute, think it's anything to do with the other local retailer," he said. "It's just the wanton vandalism in an area that everybody is trying to improve."
Mr Clarke said there had been some minor graffiti the previous week, but nothing on this scale. He confirmed there were no plans to close the store and said the business had been well-received since opening.
New Brighton Creative Futures CIC, who have helped with artwork in the Victoria Quarter and in New Brighton, denied that they commissioned the graffiti.
Their statement read: "This is not work commissioned or supported by New Brighton Creative Futures CIC. All NBCF activity operates under our published Creative Expression Policy, which requires property owner permission, subject consent where relevant, and compliance with planning and heritage regulations."
Merseyside Police said: "On Monday 21 September it was reported that someone had painted on a wall at Rightway, on Victoria Road. Enquiries are ongoing into the incident."
If you have any information on the incident, you can call 101 or message Merseyside Police on social media, quoting log number 238 of 21 September.
