VIOLENCE has soared in Clacton as drug gangs flock to the resort in search of “easy pickings”.

A shock report by Essex police and crime commissioner Nick Alston revealed some crimes have increased hugely in the past year.

Overall, crime has risen by less than five per cent, but serious violent crime has shot up by more than a third.

Read the story on the report and reaction in the Clacton Gazette, out now.