WESTON-SUPER-MARE has been named among the most dangerous seaside holiday spots in the nation.

Using data from CrimeRate, a study examined the crime rates and average crime count across England and Wales’ most sought-after seaside staycation destinations.

The crime rate shows how crime levels compare to the national average, with one equating to the average, two meaning double the average, and 0.25 meaning a quarter of the national average.

The analysis compiled by Howden Insurance encompasses various crime categories, including vehicle crime, theft, robbery, arson, and more, which are then combined to find an overall average.

A crime rate of 10.9 times the national average and an average crime count of 249 placed the North Somerset coastal town as the ninth most dangerous in the nation.

Contrarily, Burnham-on-Sea ranked tenth safest on the list, with an average crime count of 159, and an average crime rate of 8.43.

Padstow came top of the safest list with an average of five incidents across the analysed crimes and an overall crime rate of just 1.2 - slightly above the national average.

St Ives followed closely in second place with an average crime count of 25 and an average crime rate of 2.15.

North Somerset Council is currently investigating the validity of this data and will issue a comment in due course.