According to the Irish Times newspaper, which only identifies the victim as "a Portuguese woman", the most recent attack involved a broken window and a vandalised kitchen.

According to the newspaper, the house on Woodvale Avenue, in north Belfast, was attacked by nine men wearing masks and wielding hammers.

In statements quoted by the Irish Times, the Portuguese woman confirmed another attack, on Ainsworth Avenue, in west Belfast, less than a month ago, in which she was attacked by one of the attackers: "He told me to go back to my country, but my country is the UK, and if I didn't go quickly all the windows in our house would be broken and that’s what happened."

The Portuguese woman, who claims that the attacks were carried out by the same group, is staying with friends and said she was going to put the two houses up for sale.

"I've lived here for several years and I have British citizenship, I've lived in England and moved to Northern Ireland, but I don't seem to be welcome," she concluded.

According to the authorities, "the incident is being treated as a racially motivated hate crime, and investigations are ongoing."