VARIOUS places around the Three Towns - including an Orange Hall - fell victim to sectarian graffiti in the lead up to Saturday’s Glasgow Derby. 

Spray paint depicting a gravestone with ‘RIP RFC’ written on it, pro-IRA graffiti and a tag reading ‘66 haha’ in relation to the Ibrox disaster in which 66 Rangers fans lost their lives. 

And police are investigating the disgraceful acts but haven’t made any arrests so far. 

The yellow, green and black spray paint appeared near to the Tait Hall in Ardrossan’s Montgomerie Street, where the Ardrossan Winton Flute Band meet, and also on the toilets in Saltcoats, at an address in Stevenston and on the wall at the petrol station in Glasgow Street, Ardrossan. 

Police haven’t confirmed whether the incidents are linked but the colours of the paint in each of the incidents look similar in the photographs the Herald have obtained. 

One of the photographs was on the wall at the Ardrossan Coastguard’s base, next to the Tait Hall and they posted on their Facebook page calling the perpetrators ‘mindless vandals’

A spokesperson said: “Team members spent time on Sunday morning removing offensive graffiti which had been spray painted on one of the walls within the confines of the rescue station sometime between Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

"The Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team is made up entirely of specially trained and equipped volunteers who give up their time to help those in need at sea and along the coast. Our time should not be spent removing the aftermath of mindless vandalism.

“We would encourage the public to remain vigilant and to contact the police if they witness any suspicious activity around our rescue station, or indeed around any other building or premises.”

The newly-appointed Grand Master of the Orange Order in Scotland, Mr Jim McHarg, has hit out at a rising tide of “religious hate crimes” directed at members of the Order. 

Following a summit of Orange leaders who were meeting to consider a recent spate of sectarian attacks on Orange Halls, Mr McHarg said: “Without wishing to give oxygen to those responsible for the disgraceful scenes at Celtic Park on Saturday, the image of hung bodies, one wearing an orange sash, and the open display of terrorist sentiments was deliberately intended to shock and provoke. To this can be added six attacks on lodge halls over recent weeks and, most recently, IRA graffiti daubed on a war memorial.

“These premeditated crimes must be addressed by Police Scotland and the Scottish Government as ‘religious hate crimes’ and the perpetrators brought to book.”