CRIME has fallen over the last year in South Lakeland, official police records reveal.

Cumbria Constabulary recorded 4,291 offences in South Lakeland in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was a decrease of 24 per cent compared to the previous year, when there were 5,648.

At 40.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 77.6.

Crimes recorded in South Lakeland included:

- 179 sexual offences, a decrease of 20 per cent

- 1,796 violent offences, a decrease of 19 per cent

- 565 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 12 per cent

- 185 drug offences, up 16 per cent

- 36 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 22 per cent

- 495 public order offences, down three per cent

- 920 theft offences, down 48 per cent

Overall, police recorded 13 per cent fewer crimes, excluding fraud, across England and Wales, with around 4.6 million offences in the year to March.

The ONS said the drop was helped by a "substantial" fall in crime during April last year, when the first lockdown restrictions were introduced.