Walford is a dangerous place to be a resident

Albert Square’s residents are in more danger than anyone else in soapland, according to security experts.

EastEnders came out top of a list of fictional settings where characters are most likely to be victims of crime in the last 10 years. The list was compiled by security system company ADT.

The unlucky people living in Walford had 10 times as many break-ins and fires than those in the least dangerous place – Ambridge, where BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers is set.

Researchers also compared the number of fictional fires and break-ins with the likelihood of them happening in the real-life area of the country where each soap was set.

They found the BBC One programme’s location was disproportionately dangerous, with 9.5 people per 100 suffering incidents compared with London’s true figure of 3.4 per 100.

Soaps may seem unrealistically dramatic but all the other major series actually include fewer crimes than people living in the real-life areas that they are set would expect.

River City only featured 3.6 victims of crime in every 100 people compared to Glasgow’s figure of 5.7.

Emmerdale has got its crime ratio spot on for its location of Esholt in West Yorkshire, working out at 4.5 incidents per 100 people for both reallife and fiction.

Hollyoaks came in second place for residents needing to keep their wits about them, with 5.1 crimes per 100 people, more than Chester’s true number of 3.2 per 100.

Beware: Being in Walford is not too safe.