Police try to establish if there is a link between incidents in Walthamstow and other towns around the country

Spattered across a row of homes, the red paint that appeared on the front of houses in north-east London this week was as unwelcome as it was inexplicable.

Yet the vandalism was not confined to this corner of Walthamstow – the second such attack in a fortnight – it mirrors other incidents in communities across the country that have left local residents seeking answers from police and local councils.