A Hindu priest and his family are considering moving out after an attempted break-in at their home in north Belfast, it has been claimed.

A part-time manager at the Indian Community Centre on Clifton Street, where the family live, told the BBC the family were afraid after the attack last Monday night.

He said the family believes the attack was racially motivated and would have welcomed face-to-face reassurance from the police on the night the attack happened.

He said the priest’s wife was alone in the centre at the time, and that youths tried to break the door down and tried to tear grilles from the windows.

They were considering leaving the centre for a while, he said.

Police were alerted and came to Clifton Street — but the manager said they did not come into the centre.

A police spokesman said: “At 10.13pm on June 15 police received a report of suspicious activity at Clifton Street.

“Police attended at 10.24pm and checked the area.

“Nothing suspicious was seen and a crime was not reported.”

He said police visited the community centre yesterday afternoon. In addition, enquiries into local issues with youths causing annoyance are continuing.

He added: “Police take any such report extremely seriously and would encourage the community to report all incidents so they can be followed up.”