Graffiti taggers who caused £67,000 of damage around Belmont had their detention sentences quashed today.

In December the youths, who cannot be named, were fined more than £6,000 in compensation and jailed for ten months between them.

But at Croydon Crown Court this morning the sentences were quashed by Mrs Recorder Rebecca Poulet because of their previous good behaviour and early guilty plea.

In a four-month spree the boys - a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old - repeatedly vandalised trains inside and out as well as bridges, walls and buildings.The youths called themselves the WDS' crew, which stands for "We don't sleep."

They were arrested after CCTV images captured them spraying graffiti around Belmont station. When arrested they were found with spray cans in their rucksacks along with plastic gloves, a digital camera, camera phones and a variety of spray nozzles.

Police then went to their homes, seizing personal computers, computer disks, external hard drives and paper showing practice drawings of their tags.

The youths pleaded guilty to a total of 28 offences and between them had 221 offences taken into consideration, each receiving a three-year ASBO preventing them from further acts of graffiti.

But lifting the detention sentences Mrs Recorder Poulet said referral orders were more appropriate.

"These were an extremely serious and long-standing series of offences committed over a four-month period. You repeatedly went out together and performed acts of graffiti on numerous trains, stations and bridges in the Belmont and Banstead areas and caused a great deal of damage.

"The reason we have decided not to hold you in custody is that you are both of previously good character, and you both pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. And we feel you have very good futures ahead of you, one at school and the other at work," she said.

The 16 year-old boy was given a referral order lasting 12 months. The older one's was fixed at nine months.