A south Essex pub owner has demanded her golliwog dolls are immediately returned after they were seized by police this week.

Benice Ryley has vowed to put the dolls back behind the bar at the White Hart Inn in Grays after police entered the pub on Tuesday (April 4).

Mrs Ryley, 61, was quizzed by the six officers after Essex Police received an anonymous complaint about the dolls, which are based on 18th century minstrels and now regarded as racist caricatures.

She and husband Chris, 64, who is currently abroad, claim they have displayed their collection of 15 dolls after receiving them as gifts from customers over the years.

On Tuesday Essex Police entered the pub and confiscated the dolls saying they were investigating a hate crime. CCTV shows six officers walk into the bar and question Mrs Riley at a table.

Mrs Ryley explained: “Apparently a visitor to the pub had been quite upset about them and made a complaint. Chris is away abroad and will be until the middle of May.

“Police said as he is the licensee they need to interview him and they have taken the dolls away in the interim.”

The couple have run the White Hart Inn for the past 17 years.

The raid comes after the couple refused to remove the dolls after Thurrock Council received a complaint in 2018.

Mrs Ryley added: “I don’t understand why we have to go through all this again.

“We have the police taking away information that is literally the history of this country. And why?

“We are quite happy to call them dolls, not golliwogs, but even the officer who wrote down the inventory as he was taking them away described the larger one as a golliwog and the others as golly dolls.

“So even the police don’t know what to call them.”

Mrs Ryley added that people offended by the dolls “don’t have to come into the pub”.

She continued: “It took six officers to come and remove a shelf full of dollies. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.

“When the police officers came, I pointed to the dolls and said ‘They haven’t done anything.’”

Mrs Ryley is demanding the dolls are immediately returned and has vowed to put them back behind the bar.

She fumed: “It is unreal - we haven’t broken the law and there is no legal stuff that says I can’t display them. It’s just silly.”

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We are investigating an allegation of hate crime reported to us on 24 February. 

"Essex Police have discussed the progression of this case with the Crown Prosecution Service. 

"On Tuesday, 4 April, officers attended a location off Argent Street, Grays, and seized several items in connection with that investigation.

"The force is proud of the work we do prevent crime, tackle offenders and build trust and confidence in all communities."

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