Three boroughs in west London had some of the highest drug crime rates in the country last year, new figures reveal.

The police data figures reveal Westminster is effectively the drug crime capital of Britain with nearly 12 recorded incidents of illegal drugs per 1,000 people in the borough.

Also high up on the national list was Hammersmith & Fulham, which had 9.4 incidents per 1,000 people, and Brent, with 8.7.

That compares with the national average of 3.1 crimes per 1,000, and 4.9 across the capital.

Westminster saw 2,644 incidents of drug offences recorded by police in 2014, and has an estimated population of 227,000, meaning 11.7 offences were committed per 1,000 people.

It was topped only by the tiny City of London, which recorded 398 drug offences at 52 per 1,000 people.

In Westminster, there were 17 cases of people being sent to prison for drugs offences, while 169 people were given a fine. Many are still under investigation or did not lead to convictions.

Hounslow also scored above the London average, with Kensington & Chelsea, Ealing and Harrow all falling below.

At 2.8 drug crimes per 1,000 people, Hillingdon also falls well below the national average.

Borough Offences (2014) Offences per 1,000 people

Westminster 2,644 11.7
Hammersmith & Fulham 1,686 9.4
Brent 2,752 8.7
Hounslow 1,354 5.2
Kensington & Chelsea 700 4.5
Ealing 1,429 4.2
Harrow 836 3.4
Hillingdon 812 2.8