More than a dozen cars with eastern European number plates have been vandalised in a hate crime.

Fourteen vehicles parked in various residential roads in Bognor on Tuesday night were covered in yellow paint in an incident Sussex Police are treating as a hate crime.

Sussex Police said the majority of the cars had eastern European number plates or were owned by Eastern European residents.

Police in Bognor are investigating after numerous vehicles in Bognor were damaged with yellow paint in what is being treated as a hate crime.

The force has now increased street patrols in the area to reassure the Eastern European community.

Arun has the second biggest eastern European population in the South East.

Temporary Chief Inspector Pip Taylor, District Commander for Arun, said: "Sussex Police takes incidents of this nature very seriously and a thorough investigation to identify those responsible is taking place.

"We are examining CCTV in the area, have stepped up patrols and carried out house to house enquiries to see if anyone saw or heard anything suspicious.

“We've also had leaflets delivered in both English and Polish to offer reassurance to residents.”

Anyone with information about Tuesday night's spate of incidents is asked to call police on 101 quoting serial number 0782 of 28/08 or email contact.centre@sussex.pnn.police.uk.

 

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