A defiant fancy dress shop owner has vowed to continue selling replica Nazi uniforms — despite complaints from the Jewish community.

Melvin Smedley has refused to take the £52.99 ‘Gestapo Officer’ outfit off the shelf at Kids Korner in Herne Bay, Kent, after it was branded ‘offensive’.

A Jewish leader in Kent said selling the uniform worn by Nazi Germany’s secret police shows a lack of judgement and sensitivity as it could cause offence and upset people if worn in public.

But Mr Smedley says it is simply historical representation and he cannot afford to ditch any stock after his business was hit by lockdown.

Tim Spurrier, chairman of the Thanet and District Reform Synagogue, said the Holocaust ‘remains a living memory’ for the Jewish community.

He said: ‘As we head towards Halloween, dressing up in costumes to scare and often push the boundaries of taste has now become a popular and often fun event in the calendar.

‘It is perhaps easy to unknowingly step over the boundaries of taste at times.

‘Dressing up as a Gestapo officer and all of its implications, negative connotations and tragic history behind it shows a lack of judgement and sensitivity.

‘For many people in the Jewish community, the Holocaust remains a living memory and also a devastating part of Jewish family history, with many losing family members to this tragedy.

‘Let us not also forget that the Gestapo were also involved in the murder of other minorities such as black people, Roma, gay people and the disabled.’

He added: ‘Seeing a Gestapo uniform out in public would certainly cause offence but also a great upset to many, whether Jewish or not.

‘Using a symbol of hate and destruction such as the Gestapo uniform just for fun is at best thoughtless and potentially harmful.

‘I would hope that any shop selling it or people considering wearing it think twice about the consequences of their actions.’

Mr Smedley said he had no intention of causing offence but cannot throw the outfit away ‘because every penny counts after lockdown’.

He said the costume might be used for education, adding: ‘There will be someone out there that would say they need the outfit from a historical point of view – for example, a school talking about the Holocaust.

‘I am open-minded and not racist or sexist or anything like that, and if people come and ask me to get something, I will if I can.

‘Clearly this has upset a specific section of the community, but I am a very approachable person and will talk to anyone directly and listen to their point of view.

‘I have many costumes that others might not like, for example some people don’t approve of Father Christmas or Halloween.

‘I understand it might be upsetting, but where do you draw the line because somebody, somewhere will always be offended?’

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