ANGEL Street in the centre of Worcester is a "hotspot of violent crime", says a report from Worcestershire County Council.

The area has a high rate of alcohol-related crimes, including assaults and public-order offences, a large number of "dangerously intoxicated individuals" and a large number of young people being taken to hospital, especially between midnight on Saturday and 5am on Sunday.

Angel Street is also one of the worst locations in the city for litter, says the report from the council's health and wellbeing service.

The report was produced in response to an application from Amber Taverns, which wants to convert a former supermarket in the street into one of its Hogarths Gin Palace venues.

The company applied to Worcester City Council both for planning permission and for a license to operate the premises.

In September, the council's licensing subcommittee rejected the licensing bid, and now the planning application has also been turned down.

Angel Street is within Worcester’s ‘cumulative impact zone’ because of the large number of pubs, clubs and late-night food outlets in the immediate vicinity.

Between January 2016 and June 2017, 464 crimes were recorded for Angel Street, 177, for assault.

Between July 2016 and July 2017, ambulances picked up 115 patients; some of the most frequent reasons cited in the call-outs were were "alcohol-related", "overdose", "trauma," and "unconscious".

The city also has a much greater density of premises licensed to sell alcohol when compared to the West Midlands generally.

The county council's report also quotes the city pastor team, which sends out volunteers on weekend nights to help young people in distress.

"We regularly help lone vulnerable individuals who have been abandoned by their friends or partners, ensuring they are able to get home safely," says the pastors' report.

"Occasionally this requires paramedic assistance for those who are dangerously intoxicated. Angel Street also tends to be a hotspot for violent crime.

"Angel Street and Angel Place are probably the worst streets within the city for littering, with food cartons, wrappers, foodstuffs, bottles and cans scattered along the pavement and road.

"The volume of vehicles using Angel Street, Angel Place, the bus station and neighbouring streets, poses a risk to pedestrians, especially those struggling with their coordination from excessive alcohol consumption."

News of the refusal has been welcomed by Cathedral ward councillor Lynn Denham, who said: "I am pleased to see that Hogarth's Gin Palace will not be coming to Worcester.

"Whilst we would all like to see regeneration and improvements in Angel Street, it needs to be the right offer which will have a positive impact on city life."