MP PETER Kyle has denounced racist graffiti which was daubed in an underpass.

The obscene writing reads “P*** Scum Kill Them” and is said to be the third instance of xenophobic graffiti in the tunnel leading to Marine Drive, Brighton.

The MP for Hove and Portslade said: “It’s rare these days to find someone with such extreme hatred coupled with such stupidity that they would feel their rage should be shared with the rest of us. This kind of thing takes hate to another level and I hope whoever did it pays the price.”

The offensive graffiti, which is accompanied by a swastika, was spotted by a woman on her way to work.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said: ”It’s graffiti displaying incredibly offensive and harmfully racist language in a public space that’s used multiple times every day by the community. I cycle past this spot twice every day on my way to work and it really is a disturbingly horrible thing to have to see so often.”

After posting about the incident online, many residents have offered their own time, brushes and paint to remove the graffiti. It is now being proposed that a mural fill the space as a preventative measure.

Jessica Sharville, from Brighton, runs an art fair twice a year and is offering to bring together local artists to work on the project.

The woman who found the graffiti said: “It’s all well and good racist graffiti is removed, but I think we as a community can do so much more. I’ve been considering setting up some kind of community art project to cover the walls with something beautiful that promotes a message of peace, love and acceptance.”

Mr Kyle added: “I love the idea that something that celebrates how great life in Brighton and Hove is could replace such a disgusting act. I hope whoever did this ultimately learns that a tolerant society is far stronger than the divided one they seek.”

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “While such graffiti sometimes happens here, we’re not aware of any particular increase in overall frequency. We have now cleared the graffiti and we’d like to thank the woman involved for bringing this to our attention.”

In 2016, a man was fined for scrawling racist graffiti on a pub. Seth McGrath, 51, was fined £60 for causing racially aggravated harassment with the offensive words on the King and Queen in Brighton.