RACIST vandals have struck again in Penhill just hours after a swathe of swastikas were discovered painted around Walcot on Sunday.

In January houses around Corsham Road were targeted by racist threats and swastikas on a number of occasions and, after similar graffiti was found around Frobisher Drive during the weekend, the abusive messages and swastikas returned.

In total reports of three homes and a car in the Corsham Road, Fyfield Avenue and Pewsham Road area of Penhill were targeted but these are not said to be linked to the vandalism in Walcot.

Police are treating the Penhill attacks as a hate crime, and want to speak to a man captured on CCTV in the area at 3.45am on Tuesday.

He is described as white, tall and thin with collar length hair and was wearing a beanie style hat, dark leather jacket, dark trousers, boots and a back pack. It is believed the man may have links in the Penhill area.

PC Lloyd Griffiths, beat manager, said these offences are believed to be linked to the vandalism reported in January.

“What was found was swastikas painted everywhere, and on one house have been written the words ‘I am going to kill you,’” he said.

“There is also some dye in the area, with some illegible words with very poor writing and spelling. “There has also been some graffiti on some garages saying ‘I am going to blow Penhill up.’ “We are linking these offences to the incidents in January because these are the houses which have been targeted in the past.”

The discovery of CCTV has now given officers a firm line of inquiry, and they say it is vital they identify and speak to the man pictured.

“We are following this up and we now have a line of inquiry after the discovery of the CCTV footage,” said PC Griffiths. “What we need is for people to come forward to put a name to a face.

“There is no reason for us to believe these events are linked to the incidents in Walcot. We believe it is this one male who is involved, as all the graffiti is very similar, and this male is now our sole line of inquiry.

Sergeant Pete Foster of the West Swindon neighbourhoods policing team said: “This kind of behaviour will never be tolerated.

“I would encourage anyone who knows who has done this to contact the community beat manager for Penhill PC Lloyd Griffiths on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”