London’s Metropolitan Police has made 400 arrests for suspected hate crimes since the EU referendum result.

A senior officer at Britain’s biggest force said last month’s decision “unleashed something in people”.

There has been a rise in racist and religious hate crime in London, targeted mainly at members of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said: "We've seen an increase in both reporting of incidents and hate crime.

“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."

Earlier this month in Lewisham, a Labour councillor told of the moment he was called a “foreign parasite” by a man hurling abuse in the high street.

Cllr Egan, who was with his family at the time, said he was “shocked something like that could happen in broad daylight”.

He told News Shopper: “He said we were foreign parasites, told us to get out of the country and that we should and would be killed.”

Cllr Egan described the incident as “simply stupid” and said he believes the EU outcome has made the minority of society who hold racist views somehow feel legitimised.

News Shopper:

Councillor Damien Egan with his sisters and mother at People's Day.

Mr Mackey told the Police and Crime Committee at London's City Hall that before the referendum on June 23, the force dealt with 25 to 50 offences per day.

Since June 24 when the result was announced, the force has seen 57 to 78 offences per day.

They were mainly verbal abuse, harassment and criminal damage, Mr Mackey said, but there have been some "higher level" assaults as serious as grievous bodily harm.

In response to the increase in hate crimes, one community in Lewisham came together to fight racism with their Picnic for Peace event in Brockley.

Organisers Hana Sutch and Fanzi Down said they felt they had to do something after being confronted with xenophobic comments in the wake of the vote.

Ms Sutch told News Shopper: “Overnight the climate has changed, friends have suffered racist commentary and abuse.

“I was event old I ‘don’t look British’.”