'Foreign students are being attacked with catapults'

Kathy Atwal says anti-social behaviour has been an ongoing problem in Herne Bay

A homestay host said some foreign students have been targeted with racist abuse and catapults in a string of anti-social behaviour incidents in a Kent town.

Kathy Atwal said students visiting Herne Bay had been "verbally attacked", faced "lots and lots of racist remarks" and been "physically abused".

Her comments came at a meeting attended by hundreds of people on Tuesday to address anti-social behaviour concerns after teenagers launched catapults at ducks in Memorial Park and assaulted supermarket staff.

Kent Police told the meeting at King's Hall that officers would be deployed on the streets from July as part of its neighbourhood policing guarantee.

Ms Atwal, from Herne Bay and Whitstable Homestays, said student had "rocks and stones thrown at them".

She added: "The local children are using catapults against them and basically they're just causing an awful lot of trouble."

She said she wanted the foreign students to enjoy their time in the town and return in the future, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"We work really, really hard to make sure the stay goes as smooth as possible, but with these children doing what they're doing it's proving an impossible task," she explained.

Canterbury City Councillor Dan Watkins, who chaired the meeting, said although there had been incidents of serious crimes including theft and arson, there had been "lots of low-level unpleasant activities".

Watkins is a Conservative councillor at Canterbury City Council

He explained there were more police officers doing patrols and the council was hoping parents would take action to "help chip away" at the issue.

Canterbury City Council said it was also getting extra community safety workers to help tackle the problem.

Ch Supt Rob Marsh, divisional commander for east Kent, said: "Antisocial behaviour is not tolerated and, along with the dedicated team of beat officers and PCSOs, we will have extra officers on patrol in the area to tackle any issues."

He said Kent Police would also not hesitate to use its powers to tackle the problem, including by putting dispersal orders in place.

"Herne Bay is a lovely place for local residents and visitors, and we are determined to keep it that way," Mr Marsh said.