Bristol is being used as a national blueprint for tackling graffiti after the city managed to reduce the problem by almost half in a year.

Graffiti dropped by 38 per cent between 2006 and 2007, thanks to Bristol City Councils "clean and green" scheme, which encourages communities to take matters into their own hands.

A new guide has been published by the government citing Bristol's approach as one of the country's best and most innovative.

Clean and green was launched in 2002 and involved a major community clean up of Happy Lane in St Andrew's, a notorious graffiti hotspot.

The council also provided residents with cans of paint and brushes so they can remove tagging as it springs up in their neighbourhoods.

Among the city's worst hot spots for graffiti are Henleaze, St Andrews, Bishopston and Montpelier.

The council now has five dedicated teams who go out and clean up graffiti in the city, at a cost of around £350,000 a year.

But the authority says encouraging community involvement with clean and green has helped reduce the amount of money it has to throw at the problem.

Denise James, the council's clean and green team project officer, said: "We are particularly pleased as Happy Lane was the first successful project we pioneered with the local community.

"We had numerous complaints about the graffiti, and initially tried to remove it ourselves but it was such a vast area we held a massive weekend clean up with the communities help.

"We used a young artist and ex-graffiti offender to put up a mural in an area that had previously been covered by tagging.

"It's been very successful and has not suffered any attacks since it was put up in 2005.

"We encourage local communities to take ownership of their environment, and as soon as they see graffiti, to paint it out. It is estimated it would cost £5 million to remove graffiti from the whole of Bristol which is something we could never afford, so residents taking a stand helps to reduce costs."

With the likes of Banksy and Nick Walker Bristol has developed a growing reputation for producing iconic and impressive graffiti art, so the authority is keen to stress it doesn't remove street art without regard for public opinion.

Ms James said: "With tagging – that's often just squiggles – we do pro actively remove them. We consult with community groups about pieces of art they might want to put up.

"But if something goes up which we haven't been consulted on, we would speak to local people before we remove it.

"The graffiti we tend to remove looks offensive, that you get on lighting columns and litter bins."

Launching the national guide, Communities Minister Baroness Andrews said: "Perceptions about the quality of our public spaces are crucial factors in determining how satisfied people are with their local area.

"Bristol's efforts to clean up the neighbourhoods is one blueprint for councils to work together with the local community and businesses that can be adopted across the country."