“Racist, xenophobic and inflammatory” stickers have been stuck to lampposts across Whitton and Heathfield.

One sticker shows someone putting the Islamic symbol into a bin while another states “Britain is ours, the rest must go” above a Union Jack flag in front of a masked face.

The stickers, some of which were spotted in Powder Mill Lane, have been removed and re-added over the past few weeks.

The Council has reported the stickers to the police and people are encouraged to report any sightings to the authorities.

The Metropolitan Police has recorded a sharp increase in hate crimes reported since June 23’s Brexit vote, with more than 400 arrests made across the capital since June 24.

Before the referendum an average of between 25 to 50 offences were recorded daily but that number has risen to between 57 to 78.

Scotland Yard deputy commissioner Craig Mackey highlighted this spike in hate crime incidents since June.

He said: "Overall hate crime rises, some rise in both anti-Semitic and Islamic hate crime - all of these are intolerable acts.

"It does appear that post the referendum it unleashed something in people where they felt able to do things that, let's be really clear, are illegal.

"And we will take action where they do it and when those incidents occur."

Richmond Council leader Lord True said at the most recent council meeting on July 5 that xenophobia has no place in Richmond.

Lord True said: “We should respect everybody, all views. We should unite to condemn the horror of this kind of hatred.”

Richmond’s cabinet member for community safety, Stephen Speak, said he hoped forensic testing might help identify who was responsible for the stickers.

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Cllr Stephen Speak: "We won't stand for it"

He said: “Whilst we don’t know if these stickers are the work of xenophobes emboldened by the EU vote, we simply won’t stand for it in this borough.

“The number of such crimes in Richmond is extremely low but it is really important that each of us takes a stand to stop any rise in hate or abuse by those who think the referendum gives them an excuse to divide our communities.”

To report a hate crime in the borough visit richmond.gov.uk/hate_crime.