Anti-social behaviour incidents in Lancashire fell by seven per cent in the year up to March, data has shown.

Home Office figures show there were 50,982 incidents of anti-social behaviour reported to Lancashire Constabulary in the year to March, equivalent to 33 incidents per 1,000 people.

This fell from 54,591 in the year prior, which itself was a huge 47 per cent decrease on the year to March 2021, which saw a spike in offences nationally.

However, the charity Victim Support warned many people feel they won't be taken seriously when reporting anti-social behaviour, suggesting the true numbers could be higher.

Rachel Almeida, assistant director at Victim Support, said: "While reports to the police of anti-social behaviour have gone down, sadly these incidents remain a common reality for many.

"Every year one in three people will experience or witness some type of anti-social behaviour.

"We know from our experience that many victims feel that they aren’t taken seriously, or worry that no action will be taken when they report.

"This isn’t helped by the fact that victims of ASB do not have the same rights to information and support as victims of crime.

"We believe it is time that this changed - and we call on the Government to boost the rights of victims and guarantee that they can always access support."

In its election manifesto, Labour promised to "crack down on anti-social behaviour", saying it hits the poorest communities hardest and can lead to more serious offending.

In March 2023, the then Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, now the Home Secretary since Labour’s election earlier this year, visited Padiham to outline the party’s plans on tackling anti-social behaviour.

At the time she felt a severe lack of neighbourhood policing was concerning, saying: “We’ve had this massive cut in neighbourhood policing right across the country.

"In the North West, there was about a 40 per cent cut in neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs. If you talk to people they’ll say they never see police on the beat anymore and that’s a real problem.”

Ms Cooper also laid out the plan to have 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs across the country, equating to around 1,500 in Lancashire.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Burnley in April of last year when the Conservatives were still in government and said they were “not doing enough on every level” to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

He said at the time that anti-social behaviour in Lancashire was a “real problem and a cause for concern.”

Each month the Lancashire Telegraph publishes a map showing the locations of all the recorded crimes in Blackburn with Darwen in a month based on data from police.uk.

According to those figures anti-social behaviour has been trending upwards in the borough since the start of the year, with 347 recorded incidents in January and 498 incidents in the latest figures for August.

It reached a peak of 514 incidents in May.

Advice on the Blackburn with Darwen Council website says: “When we get complaints of anti-social behaviour, we need to decide on the most appropriate response.

"We consider the impact the behaviour is having on victims and communities, and the impact that repeated anti-social behaviour has when it happens over a period of time.

“A combination of different agencies might be needed to decide what the best solution is.

"We can take preventative action, intervening early to prevent problems from escalating or tackling the underlying causes of ASB, or we can use fines and prosecutions.

“You can report anti-social behaviour by emailing communitysafety@blackburn.gov.uk.”