TENSIONS are mounting over 'racist' graffiti scrawled across walls in Weymouth town centre.

Large spray-painted lettering has been daubed on the side of a building on Great George Street near Weymouth Library and is reported to contain slurs. Some of the graffiti, which were reported to be anti-Semitic, had subsequently been sprayed over.

Complaints have been made to police and Weymouth Town Council, however the council reportedly cannot remove the graffiti because it has been sprayed on a building belonging to a private landowner.

In January Weymouth and Portland Police confirmed they were investigating Polish graffiti at different areas in Weymouth including Chapelhay steps, Commercial Road, St Thomas Street and Rodwell Road.

A resident who asked to remain anonymous said: "The comments are racist and nasty.

"We don't want this happening in Weymouth and the graffiti needs to be removed immediately to avoid fuelling hate crimes.

"It might be written in a foreign language but that doesn't make the message any less offensive. I want to know why it's still there.

"It's nasty, it's racist and we don't want it in our town."

Mayor of Weymouth cllr Graham Winter condemned the graffiti and called for action to be taken.

He said: "Any type of racism is abhorrent - I just hope whoever is responsible for this is caught and severely chastised.

"This graffiti needs to be erased as soon as possible."

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "We received reports of graffiti at a number of locations in Weymouth town centre between Tuesday January 7 and Friday January 10 2020. An officer has visited the locations and enquiries into the incidents are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this stage."