Police have come under fire for their handling of an incident over the bank holiday weekend in which a family on a trip to the Kent seaside were pelted with stones by a mob of racist youths shouting 'Jews'.

The parents and their five young children, from Stamford Hill in north London, came under attack at Minster beach on the Isle of Sheppey on Sunday afternoon.

It is claimed that two boys and three girls aged from 16 to 18 hurled pebbles from the shoreline.

The family was forced to take shelter during the ordeal and call 999 for help.

However, the family said that police refused to come to the scene even though the attackers were still there.

Police insisted yesterday that officers had deemed there was no further risk to the family after the person who dialled 999 left the scene.

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism branded the handling of the incident 'appalling'.

The local Conservative candidate Tom Tugendhat said the attack was 'disgraceful'.

The family have now returned to London where they are being supported by the north east London branch of the Shomrim community group.

Jewish family from #StamfordHill were enjoying bank holiday weekend at the beach before being pelted with pebbles by youths shouting "Jews" pic.twitter.com/4GP9W3R2WQ

— Shomrim N.E. London (@Shomrim) May 28, 2017

They tweeted on Sunday: 'Jewish family from #StamfordHill were enjoying bank holiday weekend at the beach before being pelted with pebbles by youths shouting "Jews".'

A spokesman for Kent Police said: 'Kent Police was called at 4.10pm on Sunday, 28 May, to a report of an assault at Minster Beach, Isle of Sheppey.

'During the call the informant left the scene and officers deemed there was no further risk.

'As the informant is from outside of the county, police are arranging a suitable time to speak to the informant in due course. No arrests have been made.'