Chelmsford Conservatives and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex have condemned hate crime.

Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “Hate crime is unacceptable.

“If you are the victim of racist abuse or witness hate crime taking place, if the crime in in progress please contact Essex Police on 999. In a non-emergency situation, you can 101 or use the online crime reporting feature on the Essex Police website.

“You can also contact a number of Hate Incident Reporting Centres across Essex, which can also offer support and guidance. Details of the nearest specialist centre can be found here

Leader of Chelmsford City Council, Councillor Roy Whitehead, said “I am deeply concerned by the recent national reports of xenophobic abuse. We are committed to supporting equality and diversity within the City and take our duty to promote good relations between different groups of the community very seriously.”

He added “Chelmsford is a diverse city where people from many different backgrounds live and work side by side. That hasn’t changed since the referendum, but if people do have any concerns they should let the police know. They will investigate any reports of crime motivated by hatred.”