Anti-Muslim hate crime has rocketed across West Yorkshire - with parts of Kirklees among the worst affected areas.

Islamophobic offences have more than doubled since 2010, and this year there has been a spate of incidents in Huddersfield, Holmfirth, Dewsbury and Batley.

Now a special event is being held in Huddersfield next week to raise awareness of the problem and look at ways of tackling it.

The majority of offences have been recorded by police as people causing racially or religiously aggravated public fear, alarm or distress, and there have also been cases of harassment and assault.

Two years ago, there were fears there could be a spike in offences motivated by race and religious hatred in the aftermath of the death of Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was murdered near the Royal Artillery barracks in south-east London in 2013. His widow Rebecca and young son Jack live in Southowram, near Brighouse.

Nationally, there has been a dramatic increase in hate crime, and West Yorkshire Police recorded 70 anti-Muslim/Islamophobic offences between January and August this year, compared with just 31 for the whole of 2010, 35 in 2011 and just 27 in 2012.

Ten offences were recorded in Huddersfield between January and August this year, and in five of the incidents the victims were women.

Supt Keith Gilert, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “West Yorkshire Police are committed to tackling hate crime of all types by encouraging reporting from members of the community who are most vulnerable to being victims, as well as those who may witness hate crime.

“We work closely with our partners in the criminal justice system to robustly investigate such crimes, ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and, perhaps most importantly, ensure that victims are fully-supported throughout the process and feel safer and less vulnerable.

“West Yorkshire Police employ specialist Hate Crime Co-ordinators across the Force area, with a remit of assisting investigating officers in identifying perpetrators, providing ‘after-care’ support for victims of hate crime, working with communities to increase awareness of hate crime and hate crime reporting mechanisms, and joint working with partners, such as local councils, Victim Support and third party Hate Incident Reporting Centres.”

The not-for-profit organisation MEND will be hosting an event in Huddersfield on Monday to illustrate the growing problems being caused by Islamophobia, and to look at ways of trying to tackle it.

MEND aims to engage and develop Muslims in the community with the aim of reducing Islamophobic hate crime.

The event is taking place at the Huddersfield Rugby Union Club, and a number of councillors and police officers have been invited. The keynote presentation will be delivered by award winning philanthropist and CEO of MEND Sufyan Ismail.

The chair of its Huddersfield Working Group Saqib Saddiq said: “I am delighted to see such a keen interest to eradicate this hate crime, which has no place in British Society. Many of our leaders...have personally expressed their empathy and support in order to achieve this.”