Knife crime is rising more rapidly in rural counties and market towns than in cities, a study has found.

Although most of the police forces in the top 10 included large inner city areas, the study found offences were soaring at an alarming rate outside of urban regions.

Gloucestershire and Wiltshire both saw increases of 23 percent in the year from October 2022 to September 2023.

Rises in rural areas are believed to be partly fuelled by the spread of county lines networks, which export illegal drugs and the associated violence from cities.

The Cleveland Police force area had the second highest amount of knife crimes per population in the country, according to the research.

It had a rate of 17 incidents per 10,000 people, second only to the West Midlands, which includes Birmingham, which had 17.7 incidents.

Cleveland’s rate in 2022-23 was a 22 per cent rise on the previous year, while West Midlands grew by five per cent.

London was third with 15.6 per 10,000 people. The study was compiled by security firm Churchill Support Services.

A spokesperson said: “Despite pressure groups emerging to push for an end to knife crime, and a renewed focus by the police to reduce figures in recent years, the overall trend has still increased by five percent [nationwide].

“While this recent rise isn’t as sharp as some other offences, such as shoplifting (32 percent) and theft (18 percent), the current figures mark an unfortunate increase in rates that are already among the highest in the country’s history.

“Therefore, it seems clear the epidemic of knife crime across the nation shows no sign of dissipating any time soon.

“However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Some areas have succeeded in bringing knife crime figures down.”

A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said: “We are clear there is no one solution to tackling knife crime. It is an incredibly complex problem where many of those who carry blades often find themselves being both the victim and the perpetrator.

“Evidence shows knives are often carried for protection, so we need to understand what the drivers for this are.”

Offences for possession have doubled in the past decade in rural areas, compared with a 60 per cent rise in urban police force

areas, according to Labour analysis of Office for National Statistics data.

Labour has said it will introduce “strict sanctions” on senior executives of online companies who illegally sell knives.

Donna Jones, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “It is no longer just the metropolitan areas, it’s

everywhere.

“We do have a growing trend of this scourge of knives on the street and young people feel they have to carry a knife to protect themselves."