NEIGHBOURS of musician and socialist Billy Bragg have leapt to his defence after they received hate mail demanding they kick him out of Burton Bradstock.

Headlined The Village Idiot, at least 30 anonymous letters have been received by residents describing Bragg as a hypocrite and anti-British.

The letters attacked the 53-year-old’s musical talent and urged villagers to do their best to drive him out of the area.

But they appear to have had the opposite effect with neighbours speaking out in favour of the 53-year-old musician.

Simon Holdcroft, who runs the village post office, received one of the letters and said a lot of people were “horrified by it”.

He added: “It was a racist rant at Billy Bragg. It wasn’t overly aggressive but it wasn’t nice. Mr Bragg has been in the village for a long time and has done a lot of work here and supports activities – I don’t think it has had a positive effect for the author of the letter.”

Resident Karen Broad, who also received a letter, said: “I think everybody was just rather shocked – it was so vindictive and terribly cowardly. Mr Bragg has done a lot in the village – it is obviously somebody who has an absolute vendetta against him.”

Even those who claim his views “aren’t generally well-received” spoke in his favour. Peter Dutton, 66, said: “Burton Bradstock is a right-wing village where most people vote Tory. His views aren’t generally well-received but on the other hand he is respected in the village and has done a lot of good.”

Another resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: “He has never caused any problems for people in the village – the letter is making us feel quite defensive about him.”

Billy Bragg, a former busker, is well known for his political views and set up a website to encourage tactical voting to oust Tory MPs in Dorset in 2001.

Labour won south Dorset that year and the Conservative majority in west Dorset was reduced.

Last year he withheld tax payments in protest at bankers’ bonuses and set up a Facebook group on the subject.

The musician, from Barking in Essex, claims the letters are the work of a disgruntled British National Party supporter.

He said: “It is clear from the content that his letter has been written by a disgruntled supporter of the BNP.

“I have campaigned against the Tories in Dorset for 10 years but they have never stooped so low as to randomly circulate hate mail in the hope of undermining my credibility.

“This letter is nothing more than the powerless ranting of a bitter individual who is angry that, even in a sleepy village like ours, people reject the politics of racism.”