NEW graffiti tags have appeared high up on a city-centre building.

The “Soak” and “BWS!” graffiti tags appeared on the side of the Clarendon Centre in Oxford’s Cornmarket Street earlier this week .

James Fry, who works on the top floor of the centre, said: “Whoever did it may have come up through the back way using ladders, because once you’re into the offices you can open a window and get outside on to the balcony.”

Mr Fry, a member for Oxford North on the city council, added: “My colleagues were not particularly impressed by it – it is not great art certainly.”

Thames Valley Police said the damage was reported at about 4pm on Tuesday.

Susanna Pressel, a city council member for Jericho and Osney, said: “It’s very irritating. The very high up stuff is obviously some kind of dare or challenge. It is very dangerous and very hard to clean off.

“It is taxpayers’ money that has to be spent which could overwise be spent on far better things.”

She added: “I wish the police would catch them. It will stop only when they put these people in prison.”

In 2012/13, some 390 reports of graffiti were made to the council, which spent £107,000 on clean-ups.

But spokeswoman Louisa Dean said as the graffiti was on private property it was not the council’s responsibility to clean it off.

Clarendon Centre manager Ginny Fellows said: “We are currently assisting the police with their enquiries.”

In 2012, a 20-year-old was fined £100 for daubing “Soak” and “BWS” across shop shutters in East Oxford.