Vandals daubed a street with red and blue graffiti hours before today’s powder keg Old Firm clash.
Yobs painted kerb stones, walls and intercoms and scrawled ‘RFC #1’ on pavements and fences before the crunch match.
Neighbours hit out at the mess amid growing fears of trouble ahead of the Rangers and Celtic game.
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A resident, 35, who asked not to be named, warned the scribblings could spark tensions in Paisley’s Bruce Road.
He told the Express: “I was out walking the dog when I saw it.
“It was a shock.
“I think this really brings down the tone of the place and it must have been done to incite trouble ahead of the Old Firm match.
“The police should look into it and the council should remove it.”
More than a dozen kerb slabs have been coated with paint and building walls have been plastered in blue.
The Ibrox club’s initials have been left on footpath and even scrawled on wheelie bins.
Another man living nearby, who also asked not to be named, slammed the state of the street.
He explained: “It’s absolutely ridiculous — it brings the whole place down.
“I got in late and it wasn’t there, so somebody has been out doing it in the dark. It’s a total joke.
“I’m a football fan myself, but I would never dream of going out and leaving the place this way.
“It’s like Belfast or Bridgeton.”
As previously revealed in the Express, pub owners say they will close their doors before the bells due to fears over violence from all-day boozing.
Paisley Pubwatch boss Jacqueline McCaig runs the Old Swan Inn and says several bars are planning on shutting before the traditional celebrations.
She said: “I will already be packed out this afternoon and there’s just too much going on.
“No way people are going to last all day until midnight.”
Scottish Licensed Trade Association chief executive Paul Waterson described the decision to have the match at Hogmanay as “ridiculous”, while campaign group Bells Not Brawls said “it’s not exactly the brightest of ideas”.
The fixture kicks off at 12.15pm and critics insist all-day drinking will lead to flashpoints and violence on the streets.
Calls for the Scottish Professional Football League and Police Scotland to switch the game, which will televised live on Sky, to another date have been ignored.
Renfrewshire Council confirmed it has received a report about the vandalism and is looking into the incident.
A spokesman said: “We are investigating the incident and will look to have the graffiti removed as soon as possible.”
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