RACIST hate crimes rose by a third in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum.

New figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show Sussex Police dealt with 300 extra racist incidents in the year following the referendum on June 24, 2016, compared to the year before.

The rise from 1,203 to 1503 reported incidents of racially motivated abuse and violence was also borne out in almost every part of the county.

Only East Brighton and Arun saw a drop of the number of crimes flagged by highlighted by police as racist.

The city voted in favour of remaining in the EU - with campaigners event trying to separated from the rest of the country by forming an Independent Republic of Brighton and Hove - but still feel prey to the frenzy of racism that swept the county after the vote, with the total number of crimes in the city rising from74 to 81.

However the city's seafront Regency ward saw by far the highest number of crimes - with 103 reported incidents - up from 70 the year before.

Hannover and Elm Grove, Rottingdean and Withdean wards all saw the number of racist crimes double, as did Langley Green in Crawley, Seaford Central, Chanctonbury, Birchwood in Haywards Heath, Sackville in Rother and Uckfield New Town.

Just days after the vote a eleven-year-old girl was subjected to racially aggravated threatening behaviour by a gang of teenage boys in Southwater Country Park near Horsham.

Former Byker Grove actress Maria Mcateer was with her three-year-old daughter and her mother in a Hastings cafe when she heard a group of people talking loudly about Brexit before launching into a racist song.

The half Irish and Trinidadian actress, who was born in London, said she was left “close to tears” after the incident.

Natalie Pitimson a lecturer in sociology at the University of Brighton, said she was subjected to anti-semitic abuse.

Ms Pitimson said she was abused with an offensive term and told to "go back to Israel."

She said: "Nobody else in the packed rush hour carriage reacted, despite almost certainly having heard.

"I got off at the next stop. I was shaking and very upset. I thought about nothing else for the rest of the day."

German students were racially abused in Hastings with the town's council leader warning that foreign tourists were cancelling trips to the area.

Toni, a Spanish architect living in Brighton reported landing at Gatwick after a weekend in Alicante to experience his first encounter of post-Brexit racism.

He said at the time: “There were four of them. One of them shouted: ‘Why are these bloody immigrants in the same queue as we are?’ His friends were laughing. They were saying it loudly. It was very uncomfortable. I have been here four years and I have never experienced anything like this.”

Race crimes by ward / 24 Jun 2015 to 23 Jun 2016 / 24 Jun 2016 to 23 Jun 2017

Brighton Central

Craven Vale 13 19

Hanover & Elm Grove 7 17

Queens Park 29 43

Regency 70 103

St. Peters & North Laine 54 85

Brighton Central Total 173 267

Brighton East

East Brighton 14 13

Hollingbury 12 7

Moulsecoomb & Bevendean 23 17

Patcham 11 12

Preston Park 9 10

Rottingdean & Coastal 5 14

Withdean 2 14

Woodingdean 4 3

Brighton East Total 80 90

Brighton West

Brunswick & Adelaide 16 22

Central Hove 23 21

Goldsmid 15 19

Hangleton & Knoll 24 27

North Portslade 5 7

South Portslade 13 14

Stanford 13 6

Westbourne 8 6

Wish 16 21

Brighton West Total 133 144

Race crimes by district

Adur and Worthing 149 132

Arun 69 96

Brighton Central 173 267

Brighton East 80 90

Brighton West 133 144

Chichester 35 72

Crawley 142 169

Eastbourne 91 144

Gatwick 15 36

Hastings 78 117

Horsham 50 55

Lewes 52 59

Mid-Sussex 60 65

Rother 40 48

Wealden 47 50

Lewes

Chailey 0 2

East Saltdean 1 0

Glynde 0 1

Lewes Bridge 5 1

Lewes Castle 1 4

Lewes Priory 0 10

Newhaven Denton & Meeching 14 6

Newhaven Valley 12 5

Newick 1 1

Peacehaven East 3 5

Peacehaven North 2 2

Peacehaven West 3 2

Ringmer 1 0

Seaford Central 4 9

Seaford East 0 1

Seaford North 1 3

Seaford South 2 2

Seaford West 0 3

St Ann (without) 0 1

Westmeston 1 0

Wivelsfield 1 1

Lewes Total 52 59

Mid-Sussex

Ardingly 0 1

Ashurst Wood 0 1

Bolney 0 1

Burgess Hill Dunstall 6 1

Burgess Hill Franklands 3 2

Burgess Hill Leylands 2 2

Burgess Hill St Andrews 3 4

Burgess Hill Victoria 3 1

Chanctonbury 4 10

Copthorne & Worth 1 0

Crawley Down 1 0

Cuckfield 0 1

Cuckfield Rural 0 2

East Grinstead Ashplats 8 7

East Grinstead Baldwins 2 0

East Grinstead Herontye 1 0

East Grinstead Imberhorne 4 1

East Grinstead Town 9 11

Hassocks 1 2

Haywards Heath Ashenground 2 1

Haywards Heath Birchwood 2 6

Haywards Heath Franklands 2 1

Haywards Heath Lucastes 0 3

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common 1 2

Lindfield 1 2 Pyecombe 2 0

Slaugham 1 2

West Hoathly 1 1

Mid-Sussex Total 60 65

Adur and Worthing

Broadwater District 1 1

Castle District 0 1

Central District 10 7

Cokeham 1 0

Durrington District 2 1

Eastbrook 0 3

Elms 1 0

Gaisford District 4 1

Goring District 1 1

Heene District 1 4

Marine District 1 3

Mash Barn 1 2

Salvington District 2 0

Selden 0 2

Southlands 0 1

St Nicholas 0 1

Tarring District 1 2

Widewater 1 1

Adur and Worthing Total 27 31