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31
Jul
The crime hotspot where offences are double Harrogate average
A neighbourhood in Bilton, Harrogate, has seen offences soar in recent months, with double the number of crimes committed than the Harrogate district average.
Locals have claimed on social media this week that the Woodfield area is ridden with crime, dubbing it full of 'drug dens', and that police have failed to clamp down.
Latest crime figures suggest the area does indeed have a problem.
Crime in this neighbourhood is significantly higher than in the rest of Harrogate. Over the last six months (January to June 2026), the Woodfield area had 93 reported crimes, compared to an average across Harrogate of 44.
There was a notable jump of incidents in June, with 24 reported crimes compared to around 14 in the prior five months.
The two biggest types of crimes committed are violence and sexual offences at 25, and anti-social behaviour at 22. These compare to a Harrogate average of 17 and 9 respectively, so are significantly higher.
Criminal damage and arson, burglary and drug offences are also much higher than the district average.
Crime in the area (blue) is significantly higher than the Harrogate average (grey).
Shoplifting is the one category where the area falls below the average – although there are no major stores in the area.
The crime data is recorded by Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA), the smallest geographical unit used to measure statistical data in England, which normally includes a population of around 1,600.
Streets within this LSOA include Woodfield Road, Woodfield Drive, Woodfield Grove, Woodfield Avenue, Woodfield Close, Woodfield Gardens, Woodfield Square, plus Dene Park, Elm Road, Charles Avenue and Albany Avenue.
According to government measurements of deprivation, this area is also more deprived than 93% of neighbourhoods in England.
It is important to note that when comparing to the ‘Harrogate average’, this covers the whole of the Harrogate district – including Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and the surrounding rural area.
The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Police for comment but has not yet received a response.
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