Council officials are investigating the vandalism of a skip, after a resident spotted a Star of David daubed on its side.

A Jewish man, who did not want to be named, said he was shocked after he spotted the graffiti in south Essex this afternoon.

He took a picture of the vandalism as evidence.

The man said: “I am flying off to Israeli tomorrow morning – so I was taking the rubbish out to the public council skip.

“That’s when I saw it – it is antisemitism. How do you think I felt?”

The vandalised skip, in Canvey Island’s Castle Point depot, was sprayed with blue paint.

The skip is managed by Castle Point Borough Council’s waste contractor, Veolia.

David Marchant, council chief executive, said: “We will raise this with our contractor and ensure it is removed as soon as possible.”

This comes after the JC reported that members of the Charedi community were looking to move to Canvey Island after being priced out of Hackney.

According to Joel Friedman, who works for the Interlink Foundation charity, half-a-dozen families have already bought houses in the pre-war seaside resort. Others are exchanging contracts.