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Swastikas were painted onto a black man's house in a possibly racist attack that left the street in shock.

The Nazi symbol was crudely daubed either side of the front door while the kitchen window was also smashed at the property in Nunsford Close, Netherton.

The incident is believed to have occurred overnight on Tuesday, and is being investigated by Merseyside Police.

One resident said: "The housing provider has put a couple of the houses up for sale and one has been bought recently by a black man. He hasn't even moved in yet.

"But on Wednesday morning someone had drawn swastikas on the house and smashed the kitchen window. I saw the owner and he seemed shocked.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

"I think it's disgusting."

By Thursday morning the swastikas had been scrubbed off although smears of paint were still visible on the walls.

When shown a photo of the swastikas, an elderly resident who lived in the street said: "Mother of God. We've never had anything like that, it's terrible.

"That is awful, I don't know who could have done something like that."

Another woman who lives near the house said: "I had been to Slimming World and someone told me about it. It is disgusting. We have been here since 1982 and we have never seen anything like this before."

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Her mum added: "Why put a Nazi sign on the door? Who would do something like that? It's terrible."

The home owner was not in when the ECHO knocked on his door this morning.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: "We can confirm a report was received yesterday (Wednesday 18 September 2019) that criminal damage had been caused to a house in Netherton.

"It was reported at around 9.40am that graffiti had been spray painted on the front of the house, and a ground floor window smashed at the property on Nunsford Close sometime between 4.30pm on Tuesday 17 September and 9.40am yesterday.



"Enquiries into the incident are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC."

(Image: Liverpool Echo)





You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 19100529844 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information .

The ECHO understands investigations are continuing into whether that offence was a hate crime.

Reports of hate crime have risen by 111% over the past nine years, increasing from 1,368 in 2010 to 2,893 in 2018.

According to figures obtained by the ECHO, incidents relating to the disabled, the LGBT community and sex workers have seen the sharpest increase over that period.

On July 30, 2005, Merseyside was left reeling by the racially motivated murder of black teenager Anthony Walker.

The 18-year-old was ambushed in a McGoldrick Park, Huyton , by a two cousins who shouted racial abuse before striking him in the head with an ice axe.

Racist killers Michael Barton and Paul Taylor fled the country to Amsterdam, but were arrested after one of their brothers, the footballer Joey Barton, and Anthony’s family appealed for help tracking them down.

A judge called the murder an act of “racist thuggery of a type poisonous to any civilised society”, and thousands of people attended a vigil outside St George’s Hall.

Anthony’s family set up the Anthony Walker Foundation in his memory, which supports victims of hate crime and runs workshops to prevent racism and celebrate diversity in schools.