What's the crappiest place in the UK?

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Yarmouth was dog-rough when I was last there a long time ago; maybe it's improved, but few seaside towns in the UK have. Peterborough is my home town, but I haven't lived there since the 70s. Everyone I know says, it was better back then, but then again, people always say that. In this case, I kinda think they have a point, though. No 'proper' pubs in the city centre, for a start. See also, Nottingham. Was that on the list, can't remember. You could make a case, though.

I used to work in Peterborough (used to 'Alan Partridge' & practically lived at the Marriott in Alwalton, mon-fri for 18 months)

I wouldn't consider it a hole by any means, but it did have a strange feel to it. Dare I say it felt a bit soulless & empty?

Perhaps the layout was a bit disjointed, but that could be down to the huge new housing estates built around the outskirts.

Definitely felt like it was made up of 2 tribes: the locals who'd lived there all their lives, and the new recent 'commuter belt' types, who merely lived there for travelling & reluctant to integrate 🤔
 
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Peterborough is my hometown too. It's hard to put a finger on why it's so ******, it just objectively is.

****** public transport, scruffy town centre, nothing to really do, lack of bars and restaurants in the centre, lack of nighttime economy, crime, lack of racial integration, few green spaces in centre and suburbs.

The town centre around the cathedral square has improved somewhat over the last few years, but I still get the sense of decay every time I go back.
Has a decent annual beer festival though (when it isn't cancelled!)
 
I used to work in Peterborough (used to 'Alan Partridge' & practically lived at the Marriott in Alwalton, mon-fri for 18 months)

I wouldn't consider it a hole by any means, but it did have a strange feel to it. Dare I say it felt a bit soulless & empty?

Perhaps the layout was a bit disjointed, but that could be down to the huge new housing estates built around the outskirts.

Definitely felt like it was made up of 2 tribes: the locals who'd lived there all their lives, and the new recent 'commuter belt' types, who merely lived there for travelling & reluctant to integrate 🤔
People living in Alwalton will be first to tell you that it isn't in Peterborough! Has a very nice pub, the Cookoo. I worked in the business park next to the Marriott for four years, small world.
 
The only place in the Sun top 5 I've ever been to is Peterborough and that was going to be my nomination before I even saw the list. Apart from the Oakham brewery taproom. Its only redeeming feature, but I haven't been there for many years.
 
People living in Alwalton will be first to tell you that it isn't in Peterborough! Has a very nice pub, the Cookoo. I worked in the business park next to the Marriott for four years, small world.

Oh yes, I saw some of the Alwaltonians in the hotel Spa & Sauna after a long day driving the Range to school & back! 😜

I refused to stay in the city centre, was a bit too drab & devoid of life in the evening. Spent my days driving down Fletton Parkway to work, & back to the hotel each evening

About the only things I remember of note, was the Weatherspoons seemed the hub of weekday evenings activity (but still empty) & there was meant to be a superb Thai restaurant stationed on a boat near a bridge on the Nene
 
I drive round and through Aylesbury regularly the traffic is a nightmare.
Ah, I see. I guess that traffic didn't really factor in for me, since I'm legally not allowed to drive (epilepsy). Or if it did, the town favoring pedestrians rather than motorists registered as a positive for me instead of the negative it'd be for most people. Maybe traffic (and perhaps parking) were also major factors in getting a fair few of the other more picturesque places onto The Sun's list, like Canterbury and Chichester...
 
From the other side of the world I'm intrigued. What makes a place ******. Is it crime rates, employment opportunities, climate, a feeling of menace, other?
Asking cos I've been to some of the places mentioned and quite enjoyed it...
Combination of all of the above, along with a bunch of other potential factors. For example, lots of the places which feature highly on these lists tend to be cramped, overpopulated, and bereft of facilities, amenities and human infrastructure- 'ghettos', so to speak, seemingly designed solely to house as many people as possible without any thought given to their human needs. Other than boroughs of larger metropolitan areas (i.e, Greater London & Greater Manchester), the most densely populated districts in England are Portsmouth, Slough, Southampton, Luton and Leicester- all of which are more than twice as densely populated as Auckland, and which typically feature on these lists, Slough and Luton especially. Which of the places mentioned have you been to, BTW?
 
We used to go to Peterborough quite regularly before covid for work and stayed in one of the hotels just off the center. There are quite a few good pubs but I wouldn't want to be out late at night.
I remember going in one and getting collared by a religious nutter, when I went to leave the landlord told me to make sure I turned right out of the pub as it was likely i wouldn't get back to my hotel if I turned left.
One day I went for a walk along the river at lunchtime to a pub a little way out and it was quite disturbing the amount of drunks there were, it was quite intimidating.
Having said all that the pubs I went in were great and it is a pity I wont be going back on a work jolly again.
 

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