A British handbook for play leaders and nursery teachers advises how to fight racist behaviour in pre-school children. Among things the paper calls to condemn is saying ‘yuk’ after being served unfamiliar spicy foreign food.

Teachers are also called to be on alert to children name-calling and root out words like “blackie”, “Pakis”, “those people” or “they smell”.

The 366-page guide was issued by the government-sponsored National Children's Bureau.

It says even babies cannot be ignored in the assault on racial discrimination and prejudice, reports The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

The guide warns that if children “reveal negative attitudes, the lack of censure may indicate to the child that there is nothing unacceptable about such attitudes”, and advises teachers to report racist incidents to their local council.