A RESIDENT in Malmesbury has called for people to respect each other, after witnessing a man make a racist slur towards a lady selling The Big Issue on the high street.

Sharon Butler, 51, said she was “appalled” to see a man, who she said looked in his 60s, make a derogatory comment towards a Big Issue seller on Wednesday morning.

The seller is believed to be of Romanian descent.

She said: “I was walking up the high street towards the Co-op and the lovely Big Issue lady.

“A man was walking past her with his wife and towards me.

“She called “Big Issue” and he said “the only issue is how to get rid of you lot”.

“To abuse someone, who at the end of the day is doing a job to try and pull herself up by her boot straps, is quite frankly appalling.

“She’s trying to do something positive and earn money.

“He doesn’t know her story. He doesn’t know why she’s here or what she’s done. He’s chosen to judge her. It’s disrespectful.

“To the Big Issue lady I would just like to say sorry for his rudeness and we don't all think like him.”

The UK has seen a spike in racially motivated abuse since the country voted to leave the European Union.

Sharon said people need to show respect for diversity more than ever following Brexit.

“[Brexit] has given people permission to just be horrible in some cases,” she said.

“We need to respect diversity and people from other backgrounds.

“It’s a lack of respect that’s making this world so dire at the moment.”