Vandals have targeted a tattoo parlour in Abbots Langley, first smashing through the shop window and then returning to carve a swastika on the premises.

The owner said it was “beyond belief” and he was “shocked and saddened this would happen in the friendly, vibrant village of Abbots Langley”.

I Aint No Saint, in High Street, was attacked first when the parlour was closed over the weekend of Saturday, July 18.

Police said vandals smashed the front window between 5pm on the Saturday and 12pm on Monday, 20.

The parlour was then targeted a second time between 11pm on the Monday and 9am on Tuesday, July 21, again while the business was closed.

In this attack, the criminals etched a mark – reported as a swastika – into the window.

Owner Ian Nosaint said the vandals hit the window with a great deal of impact, creating a large amount of damage.

He added: “It would appear that they returned the next night to further the original damage and engrave a Swastika in the same window.”

Police, who are treating the two incidents as linked, are hunting the people responsible but as yet have made no arrests.

An internationally acclaimed guest artist from America was visiting the parlour for a week on the Monday before the second vandalism.

Mr Nosaint said the vandalism was particularly embarrassing as the artist’s wife is Jewish.

Mr Nosaint said: “It is such a shame that this type of vandalism has happened in such a cosmopolitan Village.

“We have never experienced anything like this in the four years the parlour has been here, and neither have the other local businesses.

“We are disgusted that this symbol has been engraved in the glass and it is especially sad to welcome a visitor from America with this.

“It is bad enough to cause this amount of damage, but to follow it with a symbol inciting racial hatred is beyond belief.

He added: “We are very grateful to Herts Police who have given us help and support during this time.

“They are doing further investigations to determine the cause and root of this terrible act of vandalism.”

Anyone with information on the vandalisms is asked to contact the police on their non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference C2/15/1678.