A new TV series focusing on notorious crimes has placed West Lothian among the most dangerous areas in Scotland.
Murdertown, hosted by actress Emilia Fox and broadcast on the Crime + Investigation channel, looked at which parts of Scotland has it the worst murder rates, based on official statistics.
The show’s producers provided a rundown of local authority areas in Scotland, from least to most dangerous, utilising data gathered from 2021 and focusing on the number of reported non-sexual crimes of violence.
This is an official designation that includes not only homicides and assaults, but also robberies and cases of domestic abuse, among other offences.
West Lothian was placed at number eight on the list, with 2,503.
A spokesperson for the show said: “Just to the east of Edinburgh, West Lothian is known for being the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots. It’s also seen its share of crimes in recent times.
“Causing death by dangerous driving is included in the official category of non-sexual crimes of violence, and a tragic example was seen in August 2022. A young mother was killed after two motorcyclists and a car driver apparently engaged in a reckless race on an ordinary road.”
West Lothian was just ahead of Falkirk at number eight with 2,285 violent crimes.
Taking the top spot at number one was Glasgow with 11,603.
Leading up to that was Edinburgh with 7,321 violent crimes.
Murdertown airs on Crime + Investigation on Sundays and is available to stream on Crime + Investigation Play the following day.
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