NOW IT’S official – Belfield is Rochdale’s crime hotspot.

Home Office figures show the area including Beal Crescent, Clover Hall Crescent, Blackstone Avenue, Eafield Road, Belton Avenue and Reservoir Street is not only the town’s most crime-ridden district, but also the 117th worst in the country.

The area around The Esplanade, Drake Street and Sparth Bottoms Road, including Broadfield Park, had the second highest crime levels.

Other streets which ranked high for crime included Great Gates Road, Gerrard Street, Hill Top Drive, The Strand and Curzon Road in Kirkholt and Thornham New Road.

Brimrod’s reputation also takes a hammering with Brimrod Lane, Holborn Street, Kemp Avenue, Finsbury Street and Roch Valley Way highlighted.

The statistics, which have been complied by an organisation called Mind Your Street, have been used to create a crime map of Rochdale. The deeper the red, the worse for crime.

Councillor Naim Mahmud is now calling for more youth activities to be introduced for young people in the Belfield area to help combat crime levels.

He said: "I think the solution is to build youth centres, because there is nothing in that area for young people.

"I think the reason the crime levels are so high in this area is because of poverty and unemployment."

He added: "Young people are hanging around on the streets and we have a lot of complaints from residents. Kids come out late at night and they are throwing stones at windows."

Last month mounted police, firearms officers and police dogs were deployed to Kirkholt and Falinge as part of Operation Vortex to help cut crime levels and Police Sergeant Danny Trelawny said the number of incidents dropped noticeably.

A Smart Water property identification scheme was recently introduced to the Kirkholt area aimed at deterring burglars.

Shore, including Shore Road, Tintern Avenue, Moorgate Lane, Turf Terrace, Ribble Avenue, Aberley Fold and Furness Avenue, had the lowest recorded crime levels in the borough and was ranked 24,390th in the country.

Bamford, including War Office Road, Bury Road, Wordsworth Way, Crimble Lane, Spencer Lane, Broadoak Road and Cairn Drive came second best in the borough.

Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Norden and Caldershaw were also in the low-crimes zones.

An interactive version of the map can be found by visiting: www.mindyourstreet.com/rochdale-crime.html