Labour councillors will demand action to tackle to hate crimes following a increase since the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Gillingham South Councillor Dan McDonald, Medway Labour Group’s spokesperson for Licensing, is to table a motion at the next full council meeting, following Amnesty International’s call for councils to “condemn racism, xenophobia and hate crimes unequivocally”.

It will be seconded by fellow Gillingham South councillor Clive Johnson, who said Labour had been inspired by concerns over “raised tensions” in the wake of the referendum.

“I’ve had emails from people in the community about raised tensions,” he said. “I was at the peace march on Saturday and the emphasis was that people in the community have to try to bring people together.

“The concern is over raised tensions nationally - there’s a fear of that spreading.

“I know there was a report of a black lady being abused at a polling station on polling day. Cllr Andy Stamp held a street surgery yesterday in Gillingham High Street and somebody told him that after 46 years living in Medway he no longer felt welcome.”

The announcement comes in the same week far right nationalist group Britain First declared it is to step up its campaign against Gillingham’s new ‘mega mosque’ - which is to be built in Croneens car park next to Gillingham railway station.

The group targeted Medway with marches during the 2014 by-election in Rochester and Strood, leading to clashes with anti-fascist activists.

A new leaflet from the group, which has been delivered to homes in Gillingham states that mosques are “notorious as breeding grounds for Islamic extremism” and that the mosque will “facilitate mass Muslim immigration into the area.”

It continues: “Problems that follow the construction of new big mosques like this one include the appearance of Muslim grooming gangs targeting underage non-Muslim girls like in Rotherham and dozens of other towns with high populations of Muslims.

"Hate preachers will start to preach in Medway high street and even ‘Muslim patrols’ enforcing Sharia Law are common place in areas dominated by Muslims.”

Paul Golding, leader of Britain First, has appeared in a video on the group’s Facebook page, stating that Britain First are set to hold “multiple days of action” in the area and continue to deliver leaflets.

But Cllr Johnson condemned the action.

“I think they’re undoubtedly taking advantage of concerns that people have,” he said.

“From our point of view the Muslim community is an important part of our community and have been for many years. They contribute very much to the vibrancy of Medway and I feel we should all be supporting that vibrancy and that diversity.

“Muslims are our neighbours - we’ve got councillors and community leaders from a wide variety of faiths.

“I condemn the groups that are attempting to exploit differences for the purposes of dividing us rather than uniting us.”

Cllr McDonald said: “The huge rise in reported hate crimes in the wake of the UK’s referendum vote to leave the EU has been truly shocking - which is why it is more important than ever that we all stand shoulder to shoulder in condemning hate crime.

"The awful incidents of verbal abuse and appalling graffiti which have occurred in recent days must be stamped out.

“Nobody should have to live in fear. So it is vital that the police, Medway Council, local businesses, stakeholders and the wider community all work together and take a zero tolerance approach to hate crimes, wherever and whenever they occur.

Statistics from the National Police Chiefs Council reveal there have been 300 hate crime incidents reported to a national online portal since Thursday, June 23, compared with a weekly average of 63 reports.”