The figures, published in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Racist Monitoring Scheme annual report on Friday, cover the period from April 2001 to March 2002.

The number of cases taken to court in Kent more than doubled, jumping from 34 the year before to 81.

Elizabeth Howe, chief crown prosecutor for Kent, said it was important to keep the numbers in perspective.

Tensions over asylum seekers

"You are talking about relatively small figures. The previous year was 34, then it rose to 81 - which gives some idea of what we are talking about but it is still a significant rise," she said.

Ms Howe said the increase could be linked to tensions in the county over asylum seekers.

"We cannot discount that and there may well be a rise in racist incidents altogether," she said.

"Certainly in Kent we are in a unique position in relation to that, so that may well be the reason."

More confidence in system

The CPS said the rise in the reported figures could be the result of high profile campaigns urging victims to come forward rather than an increase in the number of incidents.

"If there is an increase in prosecutions, we'd like to attribute it to the fact that people from ethnic minorities are feeling more confident in the criminal justice system," said Ms Howe.

She said the improvement in confidence could be measured because more people in Kent had been prepared to give evidence in racially motivated cases then in previous years.

However, the conviction rate in Kent dropped to 75%, compared to a national average of 83%.

The report, which collected data on all racially motivated incidents sent by the police to the CPS for prosecution, showed a 16% rise in incidents in England and Wales, with 2,674 defendants in court in total.