Robbery offences in Lancashire increased by almost 20 per cent last year, figures have shown.

Statistics from the Home Office showed there were 1,239 robbery crimes recorded by Lancashire Constabulary in the year to June this year - up by 18 per cent from 1,051 the year before.

Similarly, theft offences increased by eight per cent from 36,488 in the year to June 2023 to 39,372.

Robbery is a separate offence to theft as it involves force or the threat of force.

The Office for National Statistics said the rise in theft was predominantly the result of increases in shoplifting offences and "theft from the person" offences.

In Lancashire, 10,876 shoplifting offences were recorded last year, a 24 per cent increase on the year before.

Theft from the person crimes rose three per cent in the area, with 771 logged in 2023-24.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said the data showed the "scale of the challenge we have inherited in our mission to make streets safer".

Dame Diana added: "Too many town centres have been decimated by record levels of shoplifting, and communities have been left shaken by rising levels of knife crime, snatch theft and robbery.

"This Government will restore neighbourhood policing across the country, put thousands more dedicated officers out on our streets and scrap the £200 shoplifting threshold, bringing an end to the effective impunity for thieves who steal low value goods."

Graham Wynn, British Retail Consortium assistant director of regulatory affairs, said the figures "reflect the scale of the issue which retailers face on a day-to-day basis".

He added: "Shoplifting remains at its highest level in 20 years and cost retailers £1.8 billion last year. The thieves committing these crimes are becoming bolder, more aggressive, and are more frequently armed with weapons.

"The Government must ensure the standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker passes into law as soon as possible to protect all retail workers and to send a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated."