Nigel Farage today accused the SNP of being 'openly racist', blaming Alex Salmond for fuelling resentment. The Ukip leader said anti-English sentiment in Scotland was now the 'biggest' form of racism in the UK. H‎e said Mr Salmond had made the problem worse and said it was wrong that Ukip is called racist. Scroll down for video . Nigel Farage, pictured today giving a speech in Harrogate, said the SNP was 'openly racist', accusing Alex Salmond (right) of fuelling resentment . Speaking during a visit to Hartlepool, Mr Farage said: ''The biggest racism I have seen in British politics is happening north of the border where some of the anti-english hatred is reaching a truly astonishing level. 'T‎he SNP are openly racist. The anti-English hostility and the kind of language that is used about and towards English people is totally extraordinary. 'If my supporters behaved in the way that some of those pro-independence supporters behaved in the referendum I'd have been painted out to be the worst person that had been seen for 70 years in British politics.' Asked if being anti-English was the same as being racist, Mr Farage said: 'When I say that I don't think we should have an open door to Poland, Latvia and Lithuania I'm accused of being racist and yet when it's the Scots being rude about the English you don't think it is. 'The fact is Ukip is a non-racist non-sectarian political party and we've got more members of black and ethnic minority standing for us than the Green Party or the Liberal Democrats. We're an all embracing party.' Mr Farage addressed supporters at the Grand Hotel, in Hartlepool,  as he stepped up his election push in the north of England . Nigel Farage has said he is 'astonished' by how little clothing women in Newcastle wear on a night out. The Ukip leader said it showed that people in the North East are 'particularly tough'. During a visit to Hartlepool, he said: 'The last time I went out in Newcastle was about 18 months ago and I think it was February or March and I think it was completely astonished to see how little clothing people wear in this part of the world. 'There were girls with platform shoes like that, dresses here, blokes in T-shirts and I can only conclude that although we are all from the same country you are particularly tough up here.' Mr Farage accused the former Scottish first minister of not doing enough to counter the problem. He said: 'I think the one I blame is Alex Salmond. When I was attacked by a group of thugs in the street in Edinburgh with the most extraordinary anti-English sentiments being shouted, when Salmond was asked whether he condemned that ‎behaviour he didn't. 'I think it is ironic that all the talk about extremism within British politics is pointed towards Ukip when there are others who are far more guilty.' Asked if Nicola Sturgeon was also to blame, Mr Farage added: 'She hasn't done anything to stop it, but I haven't heard her say anything to encourage it.‎' But SNP MSP Humza Yousaf hit back at the Ukip leader's 'politics of fear and intolerance'. He said: 'These disgraceful comments - which aren't just offensive to the SNP, but to the majority of people in Scotland on current polls - show exactly why the people of Scotland reject Ukip. 'Nigel Farage's politics of fear and intolerance have been exposed in this campaign, and he has still not apologised for David Coburn MEP comparing me to a convicted terrorist merely because I am a Muslim. 'The SNP have been clear that we will be a positive voice for people across the UK - and with progressive policies such as ending austerity to invest in public services and our NHS, we can bring real change north and south of the border. 'All Ukip have to offer is nasty rhetoric.' Mr Farage said both Nicola Sturgeon and Mr Salmond had failed to act to quell resentment between the English and Scots . Mr Farage also dismissed a claim from Labour's shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna that Ukip is infected with the 'virus of racism'. He said Mr Umunna, who he labelled 'the high priest of the liberal metropolitan elite', had made the comment because Labour is 'running scared' of Ukip. Hartlepool, which has been held by Labour since it was formed in 1974, is Ukip's main target seat in the North East at the general election . In 2010, Ukip took just seven per cent of the vote and Labour's Iain Wright retained the seat with a 5,509 majority. He replaced Peter Mandelson as the MP in a by-election in 2004 after the Labour grandee stood down to become a European Commissioner. Mr Farage's hopes for electoral victory in Hartlepool come after the town elected a man dressed as a monkey as its mayor in 2002. Stuart Drummond stood as 'H'Angus the Monkey', Hartlepool United FC's mascot, as a publicity stunt with the slogan, 'free bananas for schoolchildren'. He was re-elected in 2005 and 2009 before voters in the town backed a referendum to scrap the paid post in 2012. Hartlepool's residents are famously said to have hanged a monkey during the Napoleonic wars because they thought it was a French spy.
Ukip leader blames former Scottish First Minister for fuelling resentment .
Claims successor Nicola Sturgeon has done nothing to stop it .
Farage dismissed Labour claim that Ukip is infected with 'virus of racism'