Harlow is the most murderous place in England and Wales, according to the latest crime figures.

Statistics from the Home Office reveal the town had a particularly high rate of homicides, attempted murders and conspiracies to murder in the 12 months up to October last year.

Over the course of the year there were six homicides and four attempted murders in the town - although there were no cases of conspiracy to murder.

These ten offences translate to a rate of 11.7 murderous crimes for every 100,000 people living in Harlow - the highest rate out of anywhere in England and Wales. Harlow's population is 85,000 so this does not mean there were 11.7 offences last year.

In one infamous incident last year, Polish man Arek Jozwik was killed following a confrontation in The Stow.

A 15-year-old from Harlow has denied manslaughter in connection with the incident and will go on trial in July.

Arek Jozwik who died following a confrontation in The Stow
Arek Jozwik who died following a confrontation in The Stow

In Harlow, the total number of murderous crimes was more than three times higher than the three seen in 2014-15 - and the same was true across most of Essex.

In Chelmsford, for example, the number of homicides and attempted murders recorded by police rose from five to eight over the course of the year, while in Thurrock they increased from two to six.

In Tendring, Colchester and Uttlesford, however, the number of actual and attempted murders fell - going down from seven, five and three to four, four and zero respectively between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Technically, the City of London and Sheffield did see more of these crimes per person than Harlow.

However due to its tiny resident population, the inclusion of the City of London on the list is deemed unfair when compared to other areas.

Meanwhile, Sheffield's rate was vastly inflated by the inclusion of 96 historical homicides.

These were recorded last year thanks to the findings of an inquest held on the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989.

In comparison, the two countries saw a total of 1,490 homicides, attempted murder and conspiracy to murder, or just 2.6 for every 100,000 people.

Across England and Wales, these types of crime have been on the rise since 2014-15, having risen by 22 per cent from the 1,225 seen in the same period that year.