Main shopping street is town crime hotspot

The Police UK crime map for August shows Bank Hey Street to be Blackpool’s most crime plagued street with Queen Street and Dickson Road not far behind.

51 crimes were reported in Bank Hey Street, down from 55 in July. Queen Street, Dickson Road and Market Street – the focus of Blackpool’s pub and club scene – also figured highly in the figures.

Those four streets are consistently prominent in the figures, with Police clear on the challenges on policing a town with both a night time and tourist economy.

Chief Inspector Lee Wilson said: “We face all the same problems as any major town centre, both in the daytime and night time. But we also have responsibilty for looking after the thousands of people who visit Blackpool every day.”

Figures are updated every month and are monitored closely by senior officers.

There were 34 crimes reported in Queen Street in August with 40 reported in the area of Dickson Road closest to the town centre.

A further 31 crimes were reported close to a major nightclub in Market Street with a further 18 logged in Talbot Square.

Of Blackpool’s residential areas, George Street, Foxhall Road and Francis Street all figure highly in the report.

Tyldesley Road, which The Gazette reported last month was lying derelict due to issues with an ongoing housing development, also figured highly with 20 reported incidents.

The most common reported crime was anti-social behaviour with shoplifting and other thefts a significant driving force behind the high levels reported in Bank Hey Street.

More than 1,200 anti-social behaviour incidents were reported to police with 507 violent or sexual offences recorded.

There were 127 reported burglaries during the month and 123 incidents of vehicle crime.

A total of 2,728 crimes were mapped in Blackpool for the month of August.

That was slightly down on the July figure of 2,797 reported incidents. Then the standout figures came away from the town centre.

Significant numbers were recorded at locations close to Mereside, with seven thefts recorded at one petrol filling station.

Bath Street in South Shore – which is 100m long - stood out in the figures with 12 crimes recorded on the street, which runs off Waterloo Road.