RESIDENTS in Malmesbury have reacted with shock and disappointment after a resident highlighted several incidents of xenophobia towards his partner in the town since the EU referendum.

In the public Facebook group Make Malmesbury Even Better, Dom Hunt said that since the referendum last year, his partner, who is Chilean, has experienced four upsetting events due to her accent and because she spoke in another language.

He clarified that these incidents happened in a taxi, in a beauty parlour, in The Smoking Dog pub, and in Waitrose.

He said in the post: “We often blow our own trumpets about how nice, friendly and helpful we are to each other, but my partner, who is Chilean, has been on the receiving end of four xenophobic events in Malmesbury since the Brexit referendum.

"All for the ‘crime’ of having an accent and speaking another language.

“She has been told she is ‘not welcome here’ and made to feel afraid. The lack of any meaningful reaction by onlookers in the two events that happened in public is tantamount to encouraging such behaviour.

“This is certainly not making Malmesbury better. Perhaps we are not as nice, friendly and helpful as we’d like to think we are.”

His post gained more than 80 reactions on Facebook.

Some residents stepped forward to share their own experiences of xenophobia and racism.

Lisa Tweedie recalled a Spanish friend who chose to leave the town after experiencing similar incidents. She thanked Dom for speaking up assured him that “the majority of us do not feel or act this way”.

Facebook user Lisa Rhodes also said that her son, who is half Asian, had been on the receiving end of racist and offensive language at school.

Other Facebook users praised Dom for speaking out about xenophobia and stressed the importance of challenging such behaviour.

Figures from the police reveal that race hate crime in Wiltshire has increased by 48 per cent in three years.

There were 439 incidents of racial abuse in 2016-17, compared to 295 in 2014-15.

Supt Adrian Burt from Wiltshire Police said: "The increase in reported hate crimes to Wiltshire Police is due to a number of factors: 

"The way we record these crimes has improved giving more of an accurate picture.

"Also, from the feedback we receive, people who are victims of these crimes have more confidence in the police now, knowing that if they report such a crime it will be dealt with thoroughly by specially trained staff who will give advice and support to the victims involved. 

"In fact, we are training more staff to deal with these types of cases to also help witnesses as well as helping in investigations. 

"The introduction of the True Vision website, set up by the National Police Chiefs' Council allowing anyone to report hate crimes with ease and anonymity, is another way for victims to receive help in what can be very distressing incidents. 

"Despite the rise in these figures Wiltshire is still a very safe county to live in, however we are not complacent and would urge anyone who is the victim of such crime to come forward and report it to us."

To report hate crime, call 101 or go to report-it.org.uk