Official figures show Whitehawk had 709 cases of reported crime and anti-social behaviour in May a rise of over 200 from April.

Whitehawk is part of the East Brighton ward which is seen as the poorest area in Brighton and Hove.

The local councillor for Whitehawk, Warren Morgan, said: “I’m obviously concerned about any rise, but these figures should be set against a ten year sustained drop in crime”.

Anyone can see the level of reported crime and anti-social behaviour in their area by visiting a government-backed website which was launched in February.

A Whitehawk local, Joseph Pittman, 25, said: “This area is awful. There are too many drunks and way too many people living off benefits.”

Mr Pittman is  a former sales assistant looking for work in retail but does not want to claim job-seekers allowance.

Mr Pittman said that not having a job had hurt his confidence and claiming job-seekers allowance would have made him feel worse.

Whitehawk has been at the forefront of neighbourhood policing and partnership working to deal with anti-social behaviour.

A sales assistant and mother-of-two, who asked not to be named, said: “The other kids are always trying to buy alcohol and are a pain. Blame the parents because they don't discipline them.”

The council encourages the reporting of crime and anti-social behaviour so that it can be dealt with.

The areas of domestic violence and hate crime tend to be under reported. The sales assistant and mother-of-two added that she had lived in Whitehawk for six years and the community spirit had been very good.