Fifty years since the Race Relations Act was passed, a survey has found that people believe racism has risen.

According to a BBC poll, 43 per cent of respondents think racism has increased in recent years and almost one in four has witnessed discrimination.

However, only 14 per cent believed it was a problem where they lived.

People from London and Scotland were more likely to say they had experienced racism than elsewhere in the country and young people were more likely to have seen or experienced acts of racism in the past two years, the survey found.

The poll, conducted by the BBC to mark the 50th anniversary of the Race Relations Act, which became law in December 1965 surveyed 5,000 people and found a “complex” picture of attitudes towards racism.

Neila Butt, editor of specialist programmes for English regions at the BBC, said: "It's interesting that people polled from minority ethnic groups were less likely to think racism is on the incline than those who described themselves as white."

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said: "Far from being consigned to the textbooks of history, racism continues to blight the lives and life chances of black and minority ethnic children and young people, teachers and communities.

"No doubt many will debate whether Britain is a fairer and more tolerant society today than it was 50 years ago. However, the facts indicate that there is still a long way to go to secure equal rights and equal opportunities for all."