Shopkeeper Auranzaib Raja was left shocked and disgusted yesterday morning when he arrived to find racist grafitti sprayed over the shutters of his lock-up premises.

Vandals had sprayed a swastika and the words 'Black Bastards' on the metal shutters, and 'Pakis Out' on nearby woodwork.

Mr Raja, 22, who has run the Broster Stores off-licence shop on Guard House Ring, Keighley, for the last three years, says the incident is the latest in a series of attacks.

"It is not a nice way to start the day, but I can't afford to let it affect me," he says. "I will still be open until 10pm. It's just business as usual as far as I am concerned."

Previous attacks have left windows smashed. A letter in which threats were made to burn down the shop was passed on to the police.

Mr Raja says racist comments and abuse are a regular occurrence, although he stresses he gets on well with most people in the area. "The problems come from a small minority," he says. "Most of the people are great, some of them are like family to me.

"I don't know why these vandals do this. All I want to do is come here and work. I don't cause any bother. I was born and brought up here, so I can't understand why they call me a Paki. My father invested a lot of money in this business for me, and I won't let this minority drive me out."

Sgt Allan Gee, of Keighley Police, says: "Racial incidents and crimes are treated very seriously by the police. These kind of hate crimes against minority groups should not and cannot be tolerated. All such incidents are fully investigated and people risk stiff penalties in the courts."

Anyone with information should phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.