Worst areas for criminal damage and arson
City of London in Greater London has the highest recorded rate of criminal damage and arson of the 306 local authority areas in England and Wales with a full year of data: 19.8 per 1,000 residents in the year to July 2026, against 6.4 nationally. It has 15,111 residents and 92,154 people in it on a working day, so that rate divides a city centre's crime by a village's population. Measured against the people actually there on a weekday, Middlesbrough comes top instead. On the resident measure, Middlesbrough, Blaenau Gwent and Hartlepool come next. The 100 highest are listed below.
This ranks recorded crime, not danger. A high position means the police recorded more criminal damage and arson per resident, which is not the same as a place being more dangerous to be in. Somewhere people report readily looks worse than somewhere people do not, and a district that fills with visitors carries their crime against the few who live there.
The 100 worst areas for criminal damage and arson
Ranked by recorded offences per 1,000 residents over the 12 months to July 2026, across 306 local authority areas: cities, towns and rural districts alike.
| # | Area | County | Relative rate | Per 1,000 | Per 1,000 workday | Offences | Year on year | Share of its crime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of London | Greater London | 19.8 | 3.2 | 299 | -14.6% | 3.1% | |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | North Yorkshire | 19.8 | 20.8 | 3,090 | +0.4% | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Blaenau Gwent | Gwent | 16.7 | 18.8 | 1,135 | -5.3% | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Hartlepool | County Durham | 15.7 | 17.6 | 1,545 | +16.9% | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Redcar and Cleveland | North Yorkshire | 15.6 | 17.0 | 2,168 | +0.6% | 11.4% | |
| 6 | County Durham | County Durham | 14.4 | 15.4 | 7,763 | +7.1% | 12.1% | |
| 7 | North East Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire | 14.2 | 14.5 | 2,263 | -6.8% | 10.3% | |
| 8 | Torfaen | Gwent | 12.8 | 13.1 | 1,202 | +11.9% | 10.2% | |
| 9 | Darlington | County Durham | 12.7 | 13.0 | 1,424 | +1.5% | 10.2% | |
| 10 | Blackpool | Lancashire | 12.6 | 12.7 | 1,815 | -6.8% | 6.8% | |
| 11 | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 12.1 | 11.6 | 4,018 | +7.2% | 7.8% | |
| 12 | Stockton-on-Tees | County Durham | 11.9 | 12.4 | 2,452 | +3.3% | 8.4% | |
| 13 | Kingston upon Hull | East Riding of Yorkshire | 11.8 | 12.1 | 3,248 | +5.3% | 8.6% | |
| 14 | Newport | Gwent | 11.5 | 12.0 | 1,933 | -9.2% | 8.5% | |
| 15 | Leicester | Leicestershire | 11.2 | 11.7 | 4,358 | +0.6% | 9.2% | |
| 16 | Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | 11.0 | 11.4 | 2,986 | +1.9% | 8.0% | |
| 17 | Caerphilly | Gwent | 11.0 | 11.7 | 1,949 | +0.4% | 10.4% | |
| 18 | Doncaster | South Yorkshire | 11.0 | 11.5 | 3,500 | -7.2% | 8.3% | |
| 19 | Barrow-in-Furness | Cumbria | 10.9 | 10.8 | 739 | +5.7% | 10.6% | |
| 20 | Burnley | Lancashire | 10.8 | 11.3 | 1,076 | -3.9% | 7.6% | |
| 21 | Hastings | East Sussex | 10.7 | 11.0 | 976 | -3.0% | 7.5% | |
| 22 | Bristol | Bristol | 10.5 | 10.7 | 5,186 | +20.9% | 7.1% | |
| 23 | Lincoln | Lincolnshire | 10.4 | 10.2 | 1,093 | -10.9% | 6.7% | |
| 24 | Great Yarmouth | Norfolk | 10.4 | 10.8 | 1,042 | -9.6% | 9.3% | |
| 25 | South Tyneside | Tyne and Wear | 10.2 | 11.2 | 1,542 | -13.3% | 9.7% | |
| 26 | Thanet | Kent | 10.2 | 10.7 | 1,451 | -2.0% | 8.9% | |
| 27 | Norwich | Norfolk | 10.1 | 9.8 | 1,479 | -3.4% | 8.0% | |
| 28 | Bradford | West Yorkshire | 10.0 | 10.4 | 5,654 | +2.8% | 7.7% | |
| 29 | Sunderland | Tyne and Wear | 10.0 | 10.4 | 2,888 | -12.1% | 10.1% | |
| 30 | Barnsley | South Yorkshire | 10.0 | 10.8 | 2,510 | -5.3% | 9.3% | |
| 31 | Wrexham | Clwyd | 10.0 | 10.3 | 1,378 | -2.9% | 9.9% | |
| 32 | Liverpool | Merseyside | 9.9 | 9.9 | 5,031 | -6.6% | 7.3% | |
| 33 | Walsall | West Midlands | 9.6 | 10.4 | 2,851 | +13.1% | 9.4% | |
| 34 | Canterbury | Kent | 9.5 | 9.6 | 1,546 | +11.2% | 8.8% | |
| 35 | Preston | Lancashire | 9.5 | 9.9 | 1,553 | +0.8% | 7.4% | |
| 36 | Birmingham | West Midlands | 9.5 | 9.6 | 11,231 | +6.2% | 7.7% | |
| 37 | Mansfield | Nottinghamshire | 9.5 | 10.6 | 1,073 | +2.1% | 8.1% | |
| 38 | Peterborough | Cambridgeshire | 9.4 | 9.5 | 2,111 | -4.2% | 7.6% | |
| 39 | Swale | Kent | 9.3 | 10.1 | 1,476 | -9.0% | 9.4% | |
| 40 | Merthyr Tydfil | Mid Glamorgan | 9.3 | 9.3 | 546 | -5.4% | 8.6% | |
| 41 | Plymouth | Devon | 9.2 | 9.5 | 2,512 | -3.6% | 8.5% | |
| 42 | Carlisle | Cumbria | 9.2 | 9.5 | 1,051 | +5.5% | 9.4% | |
| 43 | Gravesham | Kent | 9.1 | 10.3 | 1,012 | -9.1% | 9.8% | |
| 44 | Eastbourne | East Sussex | 9.1 | 9.3 | 950 | -4.5% | 6.6% | |
| 45 | Sheffield | South Yorkshire | 9.1 | 9.3 | 5,291 | +4.8% | 8.1% | |
| 46 | Torbay | Devon | 9.1 | 9.3 | 1,268 | -6.6% | 8.3% | |
| 47 | Hyndburn | Lancashire | 9.0 | 9.9 | 776 | -11.2% | 7.2% | |
| 48 | Thurrock | Essex | 9.0 | 9.4 | 1,627 | +6.0% | 9.0% | |
| 49 | Bassetlaw | Nottinghamshire | 8.9 | 9.6 | 1,117 | -1.3% | 9.3% | |
| 50 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tyne and Wear | 8.9 | 8.8 | 2,852 | -17.8% | 7.4% | |
| 51 | Pembrokeshire | Dyfed | 8.9 | 9.2 | 1,119 | -7.3% | 9.9% | |
| 52 | Knowsley | Merseyside | 8.8 | 9.2 | 1,435 | -6.9% | 9.5% | |
| 53 | Worcester | Worcestershire | 8.8 | 9.0 | 942 | +1.5% | 7.9% | |
| 54 | Lancaster | Lancashire | 8.8 | 9.1 | 1,277 | -7.4% | 9.0% | |
| 55 | Calderdale | West Yorkshire | 8.8 | 9.1 | 1,852 | -1.1% | 7.5% | |
| 56 | Dartford | Kent | 8.7 | 9.0 | 1,089 | -9.2% | 8.1% | |
| 57 | Leeds | West Yorkshire | 8.7 | 8.8 | 7,331 | -1.9% | 6.9% | |
| 58 | Wakefield | West Yorkshire | 8.7 | 8.9 | 3,189 | +0.8% | 7.4% | |
| 59 | Medway | Kent | 8.7 | 9.6 | 2,534 | -10.4% | 8.5% | |
| 60 | Harlow | Essex | 8.6 | 9.4 | 847 | +3.9% | 7.9% | |
| 61 | Gateshead | Tyne and Wear | 8.6 | 8.7 | 1,742 | -20.2% | 8.9% | |
| 62 | Carmarthenshire | Dyfed | 8.6 | 8.9 | 1,632 | +5.1% | 9.9% | |
| 63 | Ashfield | Nottinghamshire | 8.5 | 8.7 | 1,095 | +5.0% | 8.5% | |
| 64 | Dover | Kent | 8.5 | 9.2 | 1,012 | -5.8% | 9.7% | |
| 65 | Denbighshire | Clwyd | 8.4 | 8.5 | 829 | -6.3% | 7.5% | |
| 66 | North Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire | 8.4 | 8.4 | 1,444 | +2.1% | 8.9% | |
| 67 | Newark and Sherwood | Nottinghamshire | 8.4 | 8.7 | 1,076 | +8.6% | 10.0% | |
| 68 | Westminster | Greater London | 8.4 | 4.8 | 1,765 | -28.3% | 2.0% | |
| 69 | Derby | Derbyshire | 8.4 | 8.6 | 2,294 | -2.1% | 6.3% | |
| 70 | Exeter | Devon | 8.3 | 7.8 | 1,153 | -1.0% | 7.7% | |
| 71 | Southampton | Hampshire | 8.3 | 8.9 | 2,159 | -10.2% | 6.3% | |
| 72 | Rotherham | South Yorkshire | 8.3 | 8.8 | 2,294 | +2.7% | 7.5% | |
| 73 | Solihull | West Midlands | 8.2 | 7.9 | 1,812 | +30.0% | 9.4% | |
| 74 | Blackburn with Darwen | Lancashire | 8.2 | 8.3 | 1,328 | -2.1% | 7.4% | |
| 75 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 8.1 | 8.8 | 2,284 | +3.1% | 8.2% | |
| 76 | Cardiff | South Glamorgan | 8.1 | 8.2 | 3,114 | +1.1% | 7.4% | |
| 77 | Chesterfield | Derbyshire | 8.1 | 8.0 | 860 | -4.0% | 6.7% | |
| 78 | Tendring | Essex | 8.1 | 9.0 | 1,268 | -4.9% | 8.7% | |
| 79 | Sandwell | West Midlands | 8.0 | 8.5 | 2,829 | -0.2% | 7.8% | |
| 80 | Basildon | Essex | 8.0 | 8.2 | 1,542 | -2.1% | 8.1% | |
| 81 | St. Helens | Merseyside | 8.0 | 8.8 | 1,501 | +5.2% | 8.4% | |
| 82 | Boston | Lincolnshire | 7.9 | 8.2 | 562 | -9.1% | 7.1% | |
| 83 | Folkestone and Hythe | Kent | 7.9 | 8.3 | 886 | -1.0% | 9.3% | |
| 84 | Stevenage | Hertfordshire | 7.9 | 8.0 | 723 | +5.2% | 6.7% | |
| 85 | Charnwood | Leicestershire | 7.7 | 8.2 | 1,454 | +10.6% | 9.6% | |
| 86 | Conwy | Clwyd | 7.7 | 8.0 | 887 | -12.6% | 7.2% | |
| 87 | Ipswich | Suffolk | 7.7 | 7.8 | 1,083 | -9.8% | 7.7% | |
| 88 | West Lindsey | Lincolnshire | 7.7 | 8.6 | 764 | -7.7% | 9.3% | |
| 89 | Maidstone | Kent | 7.7 | 8.3 | 1,444 | -12.1% | 8.9% | |
| 90 | Crawley | West Sussex | 7.7 | 7.7 | 952 | +4.2% | 5.9% | |
| 91 | Allerdale | Cumbria | 7.7 | 8.1 | 749 | +6.7% | 10.6% | |
| 92 | Fenland | Cambridgeshire | 7.7 | 8.1 | 804 | -6.8% | 8.5% | |
| 93 | Gwynedd | Gwynedd | 7.7 | 7.8 | 924 | +2.2% | 8.7% | |
| 94 | Sedgemoor | Somerset | 7.6 | 8.2 | 997 | +11.7% | 6.9% | |
| 95 | North Tyneside | Tyne and Wear | 7.6 | 8.1 | 1,640 | -10.9% | 8.5% | |
| 96 | Coventry | West Midlands | 7.6 | 8.3 | 2,808 | +2.2% | 7.9% | |
| 97 | East Lindsey | Lincolnshire | 7.6 | 7.9 | 1,100 | +7.4% | 7.8% | |
| 98 | Bolsover | Derbyshire | 7.5 | 8.1 | 632 | +6.9% | 8.8% | |
| 99 | Rossendale | Lancashire | 7.5 | 8.5 | 551 | -6.6% | 8.5% | |
| 100 | Copeland | Cumbria | 7.5 | 7.4 | 508 | -1.7% | 10.8% |
The table stops at 100, by which point the rate has fallen from 19.8 per 1,000 to 7.5. The other 206 areas carry the same figure for criminal damage and arson on their own pages: search for a place by name, or see all 306 areas ranked by overall crime.
The first rate divides recorded offences by resident population, which is what the Office for National Statistics publishes. The second divides the same offences by the Census 2021 working-day population, which counts the people who are actually there on a weekday rather than the ones who sleep there. In this top ten, City of London falls by more than a third once the same offences are divided by the working-day population instead of the resident one, which is the signature of a place that fills up by day and empties at night.
The last column is this category's share of all crime recorded in that same area. A high rate with an ordinary share is a busy place; a high rate with an unusually high share is a place with a particular problem, and the two are worth telling apart.
What counts as criminal damage and arson
The Home Office publishes this as a single category, Criminal damage and arson, covering damage to buildings and vehicles, and deliberate damage by fire. It is what most people mean by vandalism.
Across England and Wales, police recorded 396,579 of them in the year to July 2026: 7.0% of all recorded crime, 5.1% down on the year before.
Areas are local authority districts, the level England and Wales actually publishes boundaries and populations for. A further 24 districts are left out because their police force has not filed a full year of returns; shown with a partial year, they would sit near the bottom of the table looking safe. How the figures work sets out the method, data sources lists where the numbers come from.
Where each offence peaks
City of London tops 9 of the 13 categories, and between them the 13 are led by only 4 different areas. That is what dividing by residents does: a place whose daytime crowds dwarf the people who live there wins almost everything, whatever the offence. Ordered by how much of all recorded crime each one accounts for, so the largest categories come first.
| Offence | Led by | Rate there | England and Wales | Share of all crime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence | City of London | 99.3 | 32.4 | 35.5% |
| Anti-social behaviour | Westminster | 64.2 | 14.5 | 15.9% |
| Shoplifting | City of London | 108.1 | 7.8 | 8.6% |
| Criminal damage (this page) | City of London | 19.8 | 6.4 | 7.0% |
| Public order | City of London | 41.6 | 6.3 | 6.9% |
| Other theft | City of London | 158.5 | 6.1 | 6.6% |
| Vehicle crime | Kensington and Chelsea | 14.4 | 4.7 | 5.1% |
| Burglary | City of London | 31.4 | 3.3 | 3.7% |
| Drug offences | City of London | 30.5 | 3.1 | 3.4% |
| Theft from the person | Westminster | 85.0 | 1.6 | 1.8% |
| Robbery | City of London | 20.2 | 1.3 | 1.4% |
| Weapons | Crawley | 6.1 | 0.9 | 1.0% |
| Bicycle theft | City of London | 24.1 | 0.8 | 0.9% |
Rates are per 1,000 residents over the 12 months to July 2026, across the same 306 areas. For crime as a whole rather than one category, see highest crime rates and safest places to live.