A top police officer claims increased visitor numbers during the hot weather triggered a rise in crime in Devon and Cornwall.
Deputy chief constable David Zinzan blamed the hot summer weather for an increase in "low level violence, public order and shoplifting" between July and September compared to the same period last year, reports the Daily Telegraph.
He said the good weather coincided with a 2% crime spike in the West Country by attracting millions of holidaymakers during the summer.
He said: "Every summer, apart from last year when I don’t think it stopped raining, we have a significant increase in crime.
"This year it was a higher increase than normal and we’re putting some of that down to the fact we had increased visitor numbers.
"We have a population of 1.9million people and it has been estimated that during the summer we had ten million people visiting."
Overall reported crimes fell by 4% in the 12 months to October 2013.
