A Jewish father has shared the shocking moment his family was subjected to sick anti-Semitic abuse by a man in the middle of a city centre.

Police have launched a manhunt after he was filmed calling the father and his brother-in-law a "dirty Jew" in St Albans.

The victim, who only wanted to be named as Michael, was spending the day with his family - including his two young children and one-year-old nephew - at the time of the incident on Sunday afternoon.

He told the Standard it was “shocking” in its “levels of anti-Semitism”.

Michael said the man initially shoved the pram which was carrying his baby nephew. A video recording seen by the Standard then shows him saying: “You’re a dirty, Jew, fam. Sit back down, fam.”

The man then aggressively kicked hoardings at Michael before walking off.

Michael told the Standard on Monday night: “Family members had come down from Manchester for a family celebration. We decided to visit St Albans and we were at this coffee shop in the town centre.

“This man shoved the pram which my one-year-old nephew was in. My brother-in-law asked: ‘Why did you do that?’ He said: ‘It’s because you are a dirty Jew.’

“I took out my camera and asked him to repeat it as I was filming. He said the same thing and kicked some of the coffee shop’s hoardings into me.”

Michael continued: “It was very unpleasant. Very shocking. It puts you on edge.

“We stayed there for another 20 minutes. But the whole time we were there, I was keeping a lookout in case he came back. But we didn’t let him ruin our Sunday.

“The footage is even more shocking, looking at it one day on. You realise the levels of anti-Semitism… he shoved a baby.”

A Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman confirmed the force is investigating a racially aggravated assault.

She said: "Officers are investigating and any witnesses, or anyone with information should contact us on the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/70651/19."