IN the wake of an attack on a borough pub at the heart of a golly controversy over the weekend, police have announced an increased presence in the area.

The incident, on Saturday evening, is believed to be connected with the now contentious and high profile decision by the force to visit the White Hart pub on Argent Street in Grays and remove a number of golly dolls and other memorabilia associated with Robertsons Jams.

The visit by police has featured in the national media and has sparked widely differing opinions and comment.

The pub's landlord and landlady, Chris and Benice Ryley remain adament they have broken no rules by displaying the material in the pub, and in 2018 an investigation by both the police and Thurrock Council found there was no case for them to answer.

On Saturday several windows at the pub were smashed and graffiti daubed on its walls.

Police were called and have since issued the following statement: "Officers continue to patrol Grays following a report of criminal damage on Sunday 16 April.  Shortly before 0.40am the White Hart Inn, Grays, sustained damage to five windows and graffiti." 

District Commander Tony Atkin said: "We're conducting high visibility patrols in the area to provide community reassurance to our residents today and for the next few days following criminal damage to the White Hart Inn.

"This continuous police presence will allow the public direct access to officers and to share any information that they might have with the investigative team.

"Enquiries are taking place to establish what happened in the lead up to this incident and to identify those responsible, and includes viewing CCTV footage.

"One line of enquiry is that the criminal damage is linked to a previous incident that we are currently investigating, also linked to the White Hart Inn. We continue to investigate that incident and would ask the public to allow us to do so, remaining calm.

"The force is proud of the work we do to prevent crime, tackle offenders, and to build trust and confidence in all our communities. We will continue to work with our partners, including working with the Independent Advisory Group for Thurrock, to further build our understanding and gain community feedback.

"When any crime is reported to us, we will treat it as such and robustly investigate, without fear or favour.

"As with all our investigations, I'd call on our communities to work with us and support us."

If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.

"You can let us know by submitting a report on our website where you can use our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

"Visit https://www.essex.police.uk/digital101to find out more about our website reporting services. Alternatively, you can call us on 101.

"If you would like to make an anonymous report, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers on Twitter at @CrimestoppersUK, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

"Please quote crime reference 42/68814/23 when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible."