Four cars were torched and racist graffiti was daubed over property as a “lovely, genuine” Scottish car dealer became the victim of a racist attack on his retail site.

The words 'P**I’ and 'black' were among abusive spray-painted messages painted on the side of a container at Rajvir Singh Janjua’s used car sales operation Loanhead Car Sales, on Clerk Street, Midlothian, last weekend.

And thugs doused vehicles with petrol before setting them alight in the attack which has now prompted police to issue an urgent appeal for information from the public.

Speaking to the Scottish Daily Record newspaper, the devastated business owner said: “This is a hate crime. They have written these words just to be racist.

"I am absolutely disgusted and I just don't understand why anyone would ever do anything like this.

Police said that the site’s attackers vandalised the Loanhead Car Sales site at around 5.10am on Saturday March 13.

Ford Target and Ford Custom vans were destroyed, along with a Vauxhall Astra and a BMW 1 series.

The Daily Record reported that Rajvir had started the Loanhead Car Sales business around five years ago, adding that the premises had been subject to another racist attack in August 2018.

Customers took to social media to express their sympathy with the retailer. One wrote: "Words fail me. Lovely, genuine guys don't deserve this."