HATE crime in North Yorkshire rose dramatically following last year’s EU referendum, but police say it is not as bad as some reports suggest.

Last week, it was reported that racially and religiously-targeted hate crime in North Yorkshire had risen in the three months since the referendum by 68 per cent, making it one of the worst areas in the country.

However, North Yorkshire Police and said the increase in overall hate crime - which includes actual or perceived disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender - was only 25 per cent, and coincided with a national rise.

Superintendent Mark Khan, North Yorkshire Police’s lead for hate crime, said: “In the three months preceding Brexit a total of 69 reports of hate crime were made to North Yorkshire Police. From July to September 2016 the number of reports rose to 86, which is an overall increase of 25 per cent.

“In comparison to other parts of the UK, the number of hate crime reports made in North Yorkshire is low, therefore an increase in the reporting figures can have a large effect on the percentage change. For example, the 25 per cent increase experienced in the three months post Brexit equate to an average of one extra report a week.”

Equality campaigners Just Yorkshire said they feared the spike in religiously or racially-motivated hate crimes - the third highest figure nationally - “is probably an underestimate”.

Chairman Nadeem Murtuja, Chairman of JUST Yorkshire, said: “Rural ethnic minority communities are particularly vulnerable.” Anyone who has experienced or witnessed an incident of hate crime should report it on 101.