A gay couple subjected to a tirade of abuse for holding hands in the street have voiced fears over a rise in homophobia in London.

Chris Withers, 28, and his 26-year-old partner, who asked to remain anonymous, were told “disgusting people like them are not welcome in the capital” while walking near Charing Cross after a night out at a jazz club.

The lighting designer, who lives in New Cross, south London, described how their “drunken” attacker hurled homophobic insults at them in Villiers Street at 2am.

He told the Standard: “It was all very puerile and childish.

“I turned round and, rightly or wrongly, said it really wasn’t acceptable behaviour and at that point he started tailing us over the Jubilee footbridge and along the South Bank.”

The pair said they were not intimidated by the verbal assault but Mr Withers added that he did not expect to face such a tirade of abuse in the capital.

“I love London because it’s such a diverse city, it’s multi-cultural, it’s open and you just don’t expect that here”, he said.

“I could take the silly insults, but what upset me was when he said ‘get out of my city, disgusting people like you are not welcome here’.”

Mr Withers, who has lived in the capital for eight years, used his mobile phone to film the abuser “in case things got nasty”.

Police have now released the footage in a bid to track down the suspect.

The victim said: “My boyfriend and I have both noticed discrimination happening more often, not just homophobic, racial, sexist. It’s not acceptable.

“We’ve been spat at in Vauxhall and had chips thrown at us by a group of teenagers in Waterloo.

“Normally we just brush it off and carry on but I want to encourage people to come forward, report it to the police. This guy was just a drunk idiot but these people need to be made responsible for their actions.”

The suspect is described as a slim, white man, aged in his early 30s.

He was wearing a black top, dark hooded jumper, jeans and trainers at the time of the attack.

PC Emma Rogers, from Westminster CID, said: “This is a shocking incident that has left both victims very distressed.

“We are keen to identify the man in the footage so we can speak to them about the incident. We would also urge anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us.”

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue

Anyone with information or any witnesses are urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.