Reports of hate crime in Manchester have doubled since the suicide bombing on Monday (22 May), Greater Manchester Police have said.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said there were 28 hate crime reports on Monday, the "normal average for a day", but on Wednesday the number had jumped to 56 reports.

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Hopkins said it's "important that we continue to stand together" following the terror attack, which saw British-born Muslim Salman Abedi kill 22 people at the Manchester Arena following a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.

"Manchester has come together this week, the public has seen that. It's important that we continue to stand together," Hopkins said.

"Particularly standing together against some of the hate-filled views that we've seen from a very small minority of the community that have no place here in Greater Manchester.

"Whilst we can't directly link these to the events of Monday night, we're continuing to monitor the situation and support our communities.

"I've sent a personal message to the faith leaders and places of worship across Greater Manchester today and thanked them for their support."

It comes amid fears among the Islamic community in Greater Manchester that Monday's terror attack could fuel anti-Muslim attacks.

One incident reported on Wednesday saw a 14-year-old Muslim girl from the city taunted as she made her way to school by a passer-by who shouted: "When are you going to stop bombing people?"

On Tuesday morning, a female Muslim student was then spat on by a stranger on Manchester's Oxford Road, The Tab reported.

A third incident saw an unidentified individual caught on CCTV attempting to set fire to the door of a mosque in Oldham just hours after the suicide bombing in a suspected revenge attack.

Islamic organisations across Britain have condemned Monday's bombing.

The Muslim Council of Britain described the bombing as "horrific" and "criminal", while the Manchester Council of Mosques said it was "mindless and unjustifiable".

Investigation continues

UK police say they have made "immense progress" in their investigation into the attack, and believe they have detained a large part of the network that supported Abedi.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, national lead for counter terrorism policing, told the BBC on Friday that officers had made "significant arrests and finds".

Eight men currently remain in UK custody, but Rowley said that number could increase.

He urged people to enjoy the forthcoming bank holiday as they would normally but reminded anyone attending large scale public events to be vigilant and arrive early due to enhanced security checks at venues.

He said: "A complete review of the plans for over 1,300 events across the country has been carried out by specialist security officers and policing has been stepped up.

"There will be extra officers on duty, and that will include hundreds of armed officers. Extra firearms officers have been out on streets because we have backfilled some static guarding posts at key places with military personnel.

"Their presence at these sites will continue throughout the weekend."

On Tuesday, the UK terrorism threat level was raised to severe, meaning that an attack was expected imminently.