Hundreds of hate crimes committed every year on the Fylde coast

Campaigners and police have welcomed a surge in reported cases, stating it is due to the fact more people have the confidence to come forward than ever before.

And they have pledged to do all they can to ensure even more people come forward, instead of living with the repercussions of hate crime.

Today, a street musician told The Gazette how he though he would die at the hands of a baying mob who screamed racial slurs at him before physically attacking him.

Read the full story on the vicious racist attack that left Elavi Dowie fearing for his life here