RECORDED race-hate crimes against children in Surrey and Hampshire are at a three-year high, a National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) investigation has found.

Surrey Police recorded 110 offences against under 18s in 2017/18, compared with 72 in 2015/16 – an increase of 53 per cent.

Hampshire Constabulary recorded 201 offences, compared with 121 in 2015/16 – an increase of 66 per cent which equates to almost four each week.

Nationally there were 10,571 offences flagged by police as race-hate crimes against children in 2017/18, an average of almost 29 a day, across the UK.

This was a rise by more than a fifth since 2015/16, up from 8,683.

The NSPCC’s Freedom of Information request to police forces showed toddlers and babies yet to reach their first birthday were among the victims.

Children told the NSPCC-run service Childline they were being targeted because of the way they looked, and reported being told to “go back to their own country”.

Some tried to change their appearance by using make-up, while others said they did not want to tell their parents for fear of upsetting them.

Childline held 2,617 counselling sessions about race and faith-based bullying between 2015/16 and 2017/18. Girls were more likely to speak to Childline than boys, and the most common age group to get in touch about the issue was children aged between 12 and 15.

One girl, aged ten, said: “I’ve been bullied ever since I started school. The bullies call me nasty names – it makes me feel so ashamed.

“My friends won’t hang out with me any more because people started asking why they were friends with someone who had dirty skin.

“I was born in the UK but bullies tell me to go back to my own country. I don’t understand because I’m from the UK.

“I’ve tried to make my face whiter before using make-up so I can fit in. I just want to enjoy going to school.”

Childline counsellor Atiyah Wazir wants every child to know this bullying is “not okay” and they have “nothing to be ashamed of”.

John Cameron, head of Childline, said bullying of this nature can cause “long-term emotional harm” to children, adding: “If we see a child bullying another because of their race, we need to tackle it head on, by explaining that it’s not okay and how hurtful it is.”