ALMOST three-quarters of Kidderminster's Asian and Chinese restaurant staff have experienced hate crime - such as racist abuse - over a three-month period, according to a survey carried out by police.

West Mercia Constabulary has promised to take a hard line against people committing racially or religiously aggravated offences in minority ethnic restaurants or fast-food outlets.

Officers will prosecute offenders in some cases when customers have been abusive to restaurant workers.

The police survey revealed that more than 70 per cent of workers questioned had experienced a hate crime incident between January and March this year.

Hate crime incident liaison officer, PC Jim Harris, said: "Through my contacts in the community, I became aware that some members of staff in restaurants and fast-food outlets were being verbally abused regularly.

"However, this did not match up with the actual number of such incidents that were being reported to police.

"We then decided to carry out a survey among Asian and Chinese restaurant workers in Kidderminster town centre, Horsefair and Comberton Hill.

"We are still collecting all the information from the survey but, so far, 71.4 per cent of those questioned experienced an incident of hate crime over a three-month period.

"Many of those occurred on Friday and Saturday nights after the pubs had shut. This is not acceptable and we will take action against those people who commit such offences."

He added: "Magistrates also take a dim view of those who commit any incident of hate crime.

"Under Section 153 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing Act) Act 2000, courts have to consider racial or religious hostility as an aggravating factor when deciding on the sentence for any offence. I would urge anyone who suffers any abuse to report it."

Anyone who wants to report a race hate crime can contact police on 08457 444888.