Police seized 15 of the dolls from the White Hart in Gray’s, Essex, last week, prompting a furious reaction from the venue’s owners.

Days later, landlord Benice Ryley defied police and put more of the toys – which are regarded as a racist caricature of black people – on display behind the bar.

Five windows were damaged in a vandalism attack at 12.40am today, with Essex Police saying extra patrols were being conducted in the area as a result.

The original seizure had taken place as part of an investigation into an allegation of hate crime, which was reported on February 24.

Essex Police district commander Tony Atkin said: ‘Inquiries 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 inquiry 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.’

Chris and Benice Ryley, the landlords of the pub where the dolls were seized

The initial raid on the pub was put in the spotlight after the MailOnline reported that Suella Braverman had described it as police ‘getting involved in nonsense’.

After the story broke, Facebook posts from Chris Ryley – who owns the pub with wife Benice – were widely shared on social media, showing his apparent support for far-right views.

In one post from 2016, he shared a picture of one of the dolls with the caption ‘We have our golliwogs, yaay.’

In a comment underneath, he added: ‘They used to hang them in Mississippi years ago.’

Last year, he also complained about the possibility of the UK getting a Muslim prime minister, asking: ‘Did all the UK population agree to live under a Muslim regime?’

The Guardian reported that Essex Police were looking into Mr Ryley’s Facebook posts as part of their investigation into the alleged hate crime.

Earlier this week, the Campaign for Real Ales (Camra) barred the White Hart Inn from being considered for any of its awards, and said it would not be featured in its Good Beer Guide ‘while these discriminatory dolls continue to be on display’.

Mr Ryley told the BBC that ‘a mountain has been made out of a molehill’, while Mrs Ryley hit back at the allegations of racism, saying the pub frequently hosts Indian weddings.

No arrests have been made in connection to the alleged hate crime.

Mr Atkin added: ‘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.’

Essex Police have urged anyone with information or footage to call 101, or submit a report on the force’s website.