Around a dozen graves in a Jewish cemetery in southwestern France have been discovered smashed in what could be the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks across the country.

Deborah Loupien-Suares, the leader of the Jewish community in the towns of Bayonne and Biarritz, said she discovered several tombstones and a commemorative plaque broken while visiting the graveyard on Sunday.

The plaque was reportedly dedicated to a girl who was deported during the Second World War.

Authorities said an investigation was underway.

“There is no antisemitic graffiti and I don’t want to inflame a debate. I want the investigation to take place calmly,” she told the AFP news agency, but added a nearby Catholic cemetery that “is situated just opposite and is more easily accessible” was not damaged.

The cemetery has been progressively extended since it was created in the late 17th century, TheLocal.fr website reported.

Jean-Rene Etchegaray, the mayor of Bayonne, said: “This is the first time this has happened in Bayonne, where the Jewish community has been perfectly integrated for years.”

Antisemitic offences in France rose by 74 per cent in 2018, the most recent year for which statistics are available, with many incidents targeting unattended Jewish graveyards.

Nearly 200 graves were daubed with swasitikas and antisemitic graffiti in two separate incidents at Westhoffen and Quatzenheim, both in Alsace in northeastern France, last year.