PRIMARY school children arrived at their schools to discover racist and disgusting graffiti daubed on walls, windows and playing areas.

Both St Mary's Roman Catholic School inMalton andMalton Primary School were targeted over the weekend, leaving teachers, parents and youngsters horrified by the offensive scrawl.

Since the attack the graffiti has been scrubbed from school sheds, buildings and playing areas, but police have vowed to patrol the Highfield Road area to find the sick vandals.

The headteacher of StMary's, David Harrison, said he had never witnessed anything so offensive in his long years of teaching.

He said: "When we arrived at school on Monday morning there was obscene language sprayed everywhere - I have never seen anything like it before.

''It was on one of the sheds, outside buildings, noticeboard, playground, even on the door to the school.We are at a loss as to why anybody would do such a terrible thing.

''The graffiti was both racist and vulgar and parents were quite aghast when they saw what had happened.

''What makes it worse is that a lot of the equipment, including the games area, was bought with funds raised by the PTA and this was a real kick in the teeth."

Staff spent the rest of the day scrubbing and cleaning the building to rid the school of the array of swastikas and hateful language.

And the Roman Catholic Primary wasn't the only school to be targeted.

Just down the road at Malton Primary, parents and their children turned up for lessons to be greeted by an array of similar offensive daubings.

Headteacher Paul Scrimshaw, who has been at the school for the past 18 months, said it had not only affected the tight-knit school, but the whole community. He said: "I hope that the police catch whoever did this because the language they usedwas really quite sickening.

''They were indiscriminate and sprayed classroom windows, a shed, benches andwalls.We got it all cleaned up before the children's play time, but it is horrific that they should be exposed to such offensive material."

He said similar graffiti had been spottedonabuildingnear theplaying fields onRainbow Lane.

Police are investigating the attacks and are appealing for witnesses.

A spokesperson for Malton Police said: "We would urge anybody with any information about these incidents of vandalism to contact police.

Officers will be patrolling the area and keeping an eye out for similar graffiti."

Anybody with any information is asked to contact Malton Police on 0845 60 60 247.