A pub which was at the centre of controversy after displaying racist dolls has had its windows smashed in.
Police are investigating after windows and doors at the White Hart Inn, in Grays, Essex, were damaged and had graffiti left on it this morning.
Around five windows at the boozer, which made headlines after it had a number of offensive dolls on display, were damaged at around 12.40am this morning.
The force has admitted they are considering whether the damage was done as a result of the controversy, Essex Live reports.
District Commander Tony Atkin said: “We’re conducting high visibility patrols in the area to provide community reassurance to our residents today and for the next few days following criminal damage to the White Hart Inn.
"This continuous police presence will allow the public direct access to officers and to share any information that they might have with the investigative team.
“Enquiries are taking place to establish what happened in the lead up to this incident and to identify those responsible, and includes viewing CCTV footage.
"One line of enquiry is that the criminal damage is linked to a previous incident that we are currently investigating, also linked to the White Hart Inn. We continue to investigate that incident and would ask the public to allow us to do so, remaining calm.
“The force is proud of the work we do to prevent crime, tackle offenders, and to build trust and confidence in all our communities. We will continue to work with our partners, including working with the Independent Advisory Group for Thurrock, to further build our understanding and gain community feedback.
“When any crime is reported to us, we will treat it as such and robustly investigate, without fear or favour. As with all our investigations, I’d call on our communities to work with us and support us.”
An Essex Police spokesperson said: "If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us. You can let us know by submitting a report online or by using our Live Chat service.
"Live Chat is an online service available on our website Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm, where you can send and receive real-time direct messages with an online digital 101 operator. To use the service, select the ‘Live Chat’ icon at the bottom right of your screen when you're on our website. It can be accessed from a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.
"Alternatively you can call us on 101. To find out more about the different reporting services visit our ' Help Us Help You' webpage. Please quote crime reference 42/68814/23 when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible."
