A swastika and the word Ukip have been daubed onto a Liberal Democrat activist’s car in Kent as voters go to the polls in local elections.

Images show the grafitti crudely drawn onto a car which was parked outside a primary school. The vehicle's tyres were also slashed.

A father walking his daughter to a primary school, on Edith Road, in Faversham, Kent, told the Standard he saw the vandalism this morning.

The man, who asked not to be named, said he believed the car belonged to a Lib Dem activist, adding it looked as though the damage had been caused overnight.

He said: “He [the activist] discovered it this morning and it had been done overnight. He’s really shocked and really distraught about it.

“It’s just a really shocking thing to see when you’re walking your daughter to school.”

He added that many youngsters had walked past the vehicle while on their way to school too.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "Kent Police received a report just after 3am on Thursday of criminal damage to a car in Albany Road, Sittingbourne.

"Initial enquiries are being made."

The graffiti comes as thousands are expected to cast their votes in the local elections today.

Elections are being held for 248 English councils, six mayors and 11 councils in Northern Ireland.

This is the biggest set of local elections in England's four-year electoral cycle, with more than 8,400 seats up for grabs.