RACISM can affect children as young as five while the pay gap between white people and other ethnic groups is still growing.

The findings are part of two research papers published by academics at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), based at Essex University .

Professor Yvonne Kelly found one in five ethnic minority mothers in the UK had experienced racist abuse, and discovered their children were more likely to have problems such as hyper-activity or interacting with their peers.

Research into the pay gap by Dr Malcolm Brynin at ISER and Dr Ayse Guveli of the university’s sociology department found white workers earned on average 43 pence per hour more than those from ethnic groups.

The gap was largely down to a difference in the number of ethnic minorities in higher paid jobs, while the gap between the two in the same occupation was lower.