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Cars have been used to ram into businesses in a spate of suspected hate crimes, police said.

Durham Police is investigating four cases of criminal damage which took place at about 21:30 BST on Sunday.

The premises included a barber's shop and convenience store in Wheatley Hill and a post office in Thornley, near Bishop Auckland.

The force said it believed all four incidents were linked and it was treating them as hate crimes.

A window of a house in Wheatley Hill was also broken.

Police said the perpetrators did not steal anything but "left the scene once the damage had been done".

Officers later recovered two burnt out vehicles.

Protests and riots have been taking place across north-east England.

Riots broke out in Sunderland, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough over the last week leading to many who clashed with police being arrested for violent disorder.

Some charities and businesses have also temporarily closed to protect staff from being targeted by protesters.

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