RACE crimes recorded against children in Cheshire have escalated to a three-year high, an NSPCC investigation has found.

The county’s police force recorded almost twice as many incidents in 2017/18 as it did in 2015/16, with the total rising from 75 to 129.

Across the north west, recorded incidents rose from 635 to 1,245 in the same period. Meanwhile, across the UK, there were an average of 29 race hate crimes recorded against children each day last year.

The increase in recorded crimes is thought to be due – in part – to improved police recording of hate crime.

The NSPCC’s Freedom of Information request to police forces has shown that toddlers and babies yet to reach their first birthday were amongst the victims of race hate crimes.

Children have also 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’.

A hate crime is defined as ‘any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic’.

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 12-15.

One victim said she had been bullied ever since starting school, leading her to feel ‘ashamed’ and causing friends to desert her due to her ‘dirty skin’.

The 10-year-old said: “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 that I can fit in. I just want to enjoy going to school.”

Childline counsellor Atiyah Wazir said: “Over the eight years that I’ve volunteered as a counsellor it is just as heart-breaking every single time a child tells you they wish they looked different.

“These children have been made to feel shame and guilt and sometimes daren’t tell their mums or dads about it because they don’t want to worry or hurt their feelings.

“I want every child to know that this bullying is not ok, they have nothing to be ashamed of, and Childline is always here to listen.”