Swastika and Nazi slogan sprayed on wall near Worthing primary school

A swastika and the number 1488 - a slogan synonymous with the Nazi party - were spraypainted onto the wall of an alleyway off Salvington Road, near Durrington Infant School.

The number 14 is shorthand for the '14 Words' slogan - 'we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children' - while 88 stands for 'Heil Hitler' with H being the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Labour's Lee Cowen has been an outspoken critic of antisemitism and the Mash Barn ward councillor condemned the vandalism, but said this was not the first time a swastika had been seen in Durrington.

"A swastika is the most overt symbol of antisemitism and is often used to cause maximum offence," he said.

"It's a sign of growing divisions in our country, giving rise to far right groups who seek to target all minorities.

"There was a report recently about the shocking levels of holocaust denial in the UK, the symptom of a failing education system where historical facts are being challenged by conspiracy theories. We cannot allow this to continue."

Pictures show the swastika was sprayed, in black paint, over a red hammer and sickle symbol, representing the flag of the communist Soviet Union.

Councillor Edward Crouch, Worthing Borough Council's cabinet member for the environment, said the council had acted swiftly to remove the graffiti and echoed Mr Cowen's sentiments.

"I am extremely disturbed to see such hateful and disturbing graffiti in a public place, particularly in this location which is near a school," he said."As a council we take a zero-tolerance approach to offensive and racist markings. As soon as I was made aware of this incident, I reported the graffiti and a cleansing team was immediately dispatched to remove it.

"Anyone can report instances of graffiti via the council website - www.adur-worthing.gov.uk."