A Bulgarian delivery driver believes his car windscreen was smashed by racist vandals in Herne Bay

Ivan Ivanov, 24, is sure his BMW was targeted in Dolphin Street because of his nationality – leaving him with a broken windscreen, four flat tyres, and a £350 repair bill.

Mr Ivanov, who is from the city of Shumen in eastern Bulgaria, said: “I don’t know what I did to upset people, but this is not the way to handle it. This is supposed to be a developed country where the law rules.”

When asked why he thinks he was targeted, Mr Ivanov pointed at his foreign number plate.

He said: “Maybe it was just some drunk who decided to do this, but my car was also attacked when I was working in Herne Bay before Christmas.

“Someone threw acid or something over the paintwork, which I had to pay to get repaired.

“Next time they should try and do it to me instead of my car.”

Mr Ivanov worked in Herne Bay before Christmas and for a Chinese restaurant in Canterbury in 2012. He uses his car for work and said he has been forced to take time off to fix the damage.

He said: “We are not animals, we are all people. I have heard English people complaining about us coming to Britain, but they have gone to Bulgaria to retire and buy property by the beach.

“Property prices in Bulgaria have doubled, so I can’t afford to buy a house. A lot of people can barely afford to pay for themselves, let alone raise a family.”

People in Dolphin Street had complained the city council and police failed to take action against two Bulgarian vehicles parked illegally.

One resident, Julie Ellis, says cars flouting parking rules risked being attacked, adding: “There are risks of attacks on cars parked illegally. The two cars have been there daily for about four weeks, but ignore tickets. Someone coming home from work couldn’t get a space the other day.

“Both police and council say it’s nothing to do with them, but somebody has got to take responsibility.”

Mr Ivanov said he had gained permission to park his car in front of the garages in the street.