Aldershot crime: residents of 'UK's worst town' say they are too scared to go out after dark

People living in Aldershot, a garrison town in Hampshire, south-east England, say crime in the town centre has become so bad that they avoid going out once it gets dark.

Aldershot, in the borough of Rushmoor, was named the worst place to live in the UK by The Sunday Times last year, according to the Express, which visited the town this week. Its centre is described as the worst part of Rushmoor for antisocial behaviour and violent assaults.

Figures quoted in the report put overall crime in the area at up to 77.6 offences for every 1,000 residents. Violent and sexual offences make up the largest share, at as many as 35 per 1,000 people, well above the average for Hampshire.

Residents told the newspaper about muggings in daylight, shoplifting, fights in the street and fears about knife crime. One father of two said a man on a bicycle tried to snatch his phone two weeks ago, while a 27-year-old woman looking for a home in the area said she would not leave the house after dark. Another father said knife crime was his biggest worry and that his family now stays in at night.

Police have used dispersal orders and public space protection orders to move on troublemakers and street drinkers, but locals say the problem continues. A private security company has increased its patrols from five to seven days a week. Rushmoor Borough Council had not responded to the Express's request for comment.

Aldershot is home to a large Nepalese community and many families of British Army personnel.