Almost 200 crimes were committed in Great Yarmouth’s seafront clubland in a single year, new figures reveal.

According to Home Office data which records crimes in specific locations across England and Wales there were 192 incidents recorded in the last 12 months to August 2019.

The statistics reveal the area near Regent Road/Marine Parade is the main hotspot with 110 crimes - more than a third of which were for violence and sexual offences (38pc).

Further along the Golden Mile a second location listed as Standard Road/Marine Parade saw 82 crimes in the same 12 months.

Meanwhile in Norwich there were 618 crimes reported around venues on and near Prince of Wales Road last year.In the last three years there have been 549 incidents at or near nightclubs in Great Yarmouth, peaking in 2018 with 213 incidents.

Figures for the last 12 months (192) show an improvement, although they remain up on 2017 (144).

The most common crimes recorded were for violence and sexual offences (71, across the two Yarmouth locations), followed by anti-social behaviour (42).

There were also incidents of criminal damage and arson (9), burglary (13), drugs (6), and public order (15).

In Gorleston figures are recorded as being "near Beach Road."

They show 38 crimes were committed in the mainly residential area, with 11 recorded in the last 12 months - the lowest figure for three years.

Keegan Snell, manager at Great Yarmouth's Britannia Pier which hosts one of the town's busiest nightspots, said violence was not a problem and most people's experience was of a fun and friendly night out.

He said the police were always out in good numbers and that any trouble was dealt with swiftly.

"I am here every weekend until 4am and I do not think it is a scary place to be," he said.

"People like to put the town down and make out like it's a war zone but I do not see it as a dangerous place whatsoever.

"I have been here for 25 years and I have never felt uneasy in the early hours anywhere along the seafront."

Karen Youngs, of Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area said the figures did not tell the whole story and the organisation had assurances from the police that the area was safe.

She said areas around the seafront suffered from a "false reputation" with isolated incidents that were unlikely to spill over and affect the general population.

She added that millions had been spent on the seafront over the years and that it was heartening to see the figures showed an improvement.

And while it was hard to tell the seriousness of the incidents from the way they were logged, she felt some people were too quick to warn off others from going to certain areas.

She understood that while there was no particular scheme around nightclub safety, there was a visible police presence in certain areas.

"We have had meetings with the police and they are quite categorical in saying it is safe to go out," she said, adding CCTV cameras also had a role to play in keeping an eye on crime.