People in Yorkshire and the North-East suffer some of the worst rates of car crime and muggings, according to a report published today.

But fewer people live in fear of crime than in most other regions.

And North Yorkshire police pointed out today that crime has been falling in the county for three years now, as intelligence-led policing makes significant inroads on offences such as burglaries and car thefts.

The survey, by Mintel, found that 67 per cent of people across the country have been a victim of a crime such as burglary, car theft, or mugging, and more than 90 per cent of people live in fear of crime.

Car crime - both thefts from a vehicle and theft of a vehicle - is shown to be most prevalent in Yorkshire and the North East.

More people reported being mugged here than in all other regions apart from London and the north-west.

And more people reported having been burgled than in all other regions but the Midlands and the north west.

But despite this, fear of crime here is slightly lower than in most other regions: when respondents were asked whether they felt crime was something that happened to other people, slightly more people in Yorkshire and the north-east said yes than elsewhere.

Nationwide, women are more likely to live in fear of crime than men, even though they are less likely to become victims.

The report also shows that although elderly people are seen as being easy prey for criminals, people aged over 65 are the least afraid of crime and are also among those least likely to be targeted by villains.

Overall, 86 per cent of men and 89 per cent of women believe they are vulnerable to crime, the survey says.

People in the 25-34 years age group are the most afraid, with 95 per cent expressing fear compared with 78 per cent of people aged over 65.

With the exception of mugging and bag-snatching, men are more likely to fall victim to crime than women, with men aged 25-34 twice as likely to be attacked physically than the national average.

Victim Support said the level of fear of crime shown by the survey was "incredibly high".

A spokeswoman said: "It's higher than we would have expected.

The figure shows how vital it is to talk about crime if it happens to you. It can help you to recover and help you go on less afraid that it might happen to you again."

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