The University of Reading's Agricultural Society has written an apology letter to the traveller community

On October 24 Reading Agricultural Society students dressed in tracksuits and vest tops were filmed setting off fire extinguishers and fireworks, urinating in residents' gardens and carrying a sofa down Erleigh Road.

With the incident taking place less than a year after the same body of students were pictured wearing black face, the University of Reading were quick to criticise their actions.

University vice-chancellor Sir David Bell, said: “The university condemns this behaviour in the strongest terms. Senior university staff are now conducting a thorough investigation.

“We take this matter extremely seriously and are working now to identify the individuals and groups involved."

At the investigation's conclusion the university decided offending pupils should write a letter of apology to Erleigh Road homeowners and Romany and Irish travellers.

Part of the letter reads: "On behalf of the Reading Agricultural Society, we are writing this letter to apologise profusely for the social that took place on the 24 October 2016 named “Pikey Night”.

"As committee and society as a whole, we understand that we have undermined the university’s reputation as an open, inclusive community and, in particular, the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development.

"The society would like to state that we understand that the term “Pikey” is offensive to a protected minority under the Equality Act and that by using the term in a themed social, we have offended a vast majority of the University of Reading’s community including the wider student community and even the local community."

A letter outlining the university's policy on discrimination can be found at www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR704755.aspx