VIOLENT crime is costing households more than £1,100 a year, a study has shown.

The total burden - £25.6billion last year - has more than doubled under Labour, the report by the Tories said.

The sum was calculated by adding up the cost of violent offences to the police, the courts, the NHS and victims' services. It also included the expense of security and insurance administration and the effects of victims' taking time off work to recover.

The report calculated that each violent incident costs £11,848.

Shadow Police Reform Minister David Ruffley said: "This is an appalling indictment of the Government's failure."

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "This is a distortion of the true level of violent crime and the cost to the economy."