A POLISH family have described how they were verbally abused by teenagers and their car was vandalised during a sustained attack.

Marlena Pakula, 38, and her husband Lukas, 34, say they phoned police eight times before officers visited their Edinburgh flat.

The couple and their two children, including their terrified nine-year-old son, were out for a walk when teenagers launched an unprovoked verbal assault.

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They then smashed eggs against their new car outside their home in Wester Hailes where they have lived peacefully for almost a decade.

Ms Pakula said: “This was unprovoked, we don’t even know the people that were shouting at us. They were saying such horrible things, we are a quiet family and have lived in the flat for nine years, with no bother.” Lukas phoned police from the flat, but claims to have been told that no officers were available to help. The family then contacted the force a further seven times as the teenagers kept up the assault.

Ms Pakula was verbally abused as she took pictures of her Mazda, which had its back window damaged and its convertible roof slit open.

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She said: “The car was our son’s who is 17 and has been learning to drive. We only bought it a few weeks ago for him.” She said it took eight calls before officers arrived. Ms Pakula said: “I’m really angry at the way we have been treated by the police.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police received a report of youths causing a disturbance and throwing eggs at a vehicle in Harvesters Way at 4.20 pm on Saturday, September 10. The caller made a number of further calls to police to provide an update on the disorder and to request that officers attend at the address.”

“Due to a number of ongoing incidents, which required a high-priority emergency response, police were deployed to Harvesters Way, Edinburgh, at 11.18pm that evening where they took a full statement from the complainer and commenced inquiries into the racially motivated vandalism of the vehicle.

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“As is standard procedure, we will review the full circumstances surrounding our response to this incident and take any appropriate action required.”