Drax Arms pub in Bere Regis graffitied over name's slavery link

Slogans were daubed on the front of the Grade II listed building

A Dorset pub has been vandalised over its name's links to the slave trade.

Graffiti reading "Slaver" and "BLM" was daubed on the Drax Arms in Bere Regis, Dorset, overnight.

The pub is named after the family of Dorset South MP Richard Drax, who owns the nearby Drax Estate and whose ancestors have documented links to slavery in the Caribbean.

Tenant Kerry Davies said staff were "devastated and heartbroken" and did not understand why they were targeted.

Her family took over running the business, which is owned by the Hall and Woodhouse Brewery, in 2017.

The pub and its name date back to the 1800s. It is currently closed due to coronavirus restrictions and is due to reopen May.

Ms Davies said the exterior of the Grade II listed building will need to be repainted.

She said: "The team are angry - they've spent months working to get everything ready for re-opening and just didn't really understand why we've been targeted.

"We've had the odd comment on Facebook referencing slavery before but nothing as threatening as this.

"The people that it has affected are not the Drax family who are not associated with the pub - it's the brewery, my family and my team - it's just demoralising."

Duncan Rouse, from the brewery, said: "The business partners (tenants) of the pub and the pub itself have no links to the Drax Estate and no links to the issues that the graffiti references.

"We are supporting our business partners to rectify the graffiti damage caused to the exterior of the building,"

Dorset Police said it was investigating a report of criminal damage which occurred overnight at the pub. No arrests have been made.

Mr Drax has not yet responded to a request to comment.