German great-grandmother takes up graffiti to brighten up dull power boxes

The drab, dirty electricity boxes along Germany's streets bothered Hess for some time, so she decided to teach herself the art of graffiti to brighten up her neighbourhood with characters from children's books and designs by British street artist Banksy. Photos: Uwe Anspach/dpa

The electricity boxes dotted along the streets of Germany are a functional grey at best, while more often they are scribbled on, mossy or dirty. That bothers Inge Hess.

"Whenever I see a box like that, I think I should paint it," says Hess, 80, a great-grandmother and now a graffiti artist.