Crime fell by more than seven per cent across the West Midlands last month – but police are still only solving just over a quarter of all cases.

There were 20,458 recorded offences, compared to 22,081 last February, with vandalism, crimes against businesses and race hate offences all falling.

So far this year total crime is down by more than 10 per cent.

But police are still only solving 26 per cent of all crimes, a figure which is up by 0.2 per cent when compared to February last year.

Crime was down by more than a quarter in the west of Wolverhampton, including areas such as Tettenhall and the city centre.

But the encouraging figures are in sharp contrast to the east of the city, where it rose by more than 20 per cent.

In the areas covered by Wednesfield police, which include Low Hill, Bilston and Ashmore Park, crimes against businesses rose 42 per cent, criminal damage went up by 16 per cent and the number of racially aggravated crimes doubled.

Crime in parts of the Dudley borough rose by almost five per cent.

In the south which covers Stourbridge and Halesowen offences against businesses went up by 16 per cent.

The north of the borough fared better with figures showing a drop in overall crime by 12 per cent.

In Smethwick, crime fell by seven per cent and in Walsall it was slashed by 19 per cent.

The figures also show the number of serious and fatal crashes on the road’s of the West Midlands rocketed by 60 per cent last month.

There were 32 major crashes, compared to just 20 in February last year, despite police having hoped to cut the number of serious accidents by four per cent.

Those killed on the region’s roads in February included Marcella Barnes, aged 47, of Tettenhall, who was struck by a car which then failed to stop on Ring Road St Patrick’s during the morning rush hour.