Houses on Bristol street all get rainbow doormats after couple's painted black in attack

A street in south Bristol is gradually being filled with colourful doormats in response to a homophobic attack.

Susie Day and her partner moved to their new home in the Bedminster area of the city recently, and put a rainbow doormat down in time for this month’s Pride celebrations.

The mat was soon stolen so they went out and bought a new one, but this time glued it down so it couldn’t be taken.

Susie and her wife then found their new doormat had been covered with black spray paint.

She said the realisation that someone would go to such lengths was "sickening".

"It felt really horrible and invasive," she said. "It felt like we were a bit unsafe in our own home. We’d only recently moved here, and it felt personal. We weren’t sure if the theft was just random, but clearly someone didn’t like it and actually came back with a spray can."

Susie asked her neighbours if they had experienced any other kind of vandalism and no one else had. When the neighbours realised what had happened, they rallied around.

The couple who were left "shocked" by the attack say they have been overwhelmed by support.

Susie Day said: "Everyone was really shocked and we’ve had such great messages and people coming round to say how disgusted they were someone would do this.

"Everyone has said that’s not what this street is like, and one of our neighbours said they were going to get a rainbow doormat themselves, and now a lot of the other neighbours are doing the same, and have ordered them. So from just our rainbow doormat, there’s now going to be loads. That will be a really nice thing for us, to go out and walk down the street and see that there’s this support."

It comes as a Bristol Pride billboard was set on fire less than 24 hours after it was put up in what is being treated as a hate crime by police.

Bristol Pride is taking place between 24 June and 9 July. Australian pop star Natalie Imbruglia and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears will be performing. The main event is on Saturday 8 July, which is Pride Day.