UK’s “worst town” league table to be published
Britain’s ‘worst 50’ towns and cities have been pinpointed in a new book.
The book, entitled “Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places to Live in the UK,” due to be published on Saturday, grew out of an online survey organised by Idler magazine.
Local residents were invited to nominate their own towns for the worst town award.
The top five “worst” towns in descending order are Hull, Cumbernauld, Morecambe (“The seaside town they forgot to close down”), Hythe, and Winchester.
Local residents in Hull are likely to dispute the “unscientific” nature of the assessment.
Co-authors Dan Kieran said: “People really got behind the idea. The response was really positive – everyone’s got a sense of humour – especially the people who live in Hull.”
Hull was described by a former resident as “a sad story of unemployment, teenage pregnancy, heroin addiction, crime, violence, and rampant self-neglect.”
However, the unflattering nominations include several well-to-do areas such as St John’s Wood and Winchester, which both came high up the rankings.
The apparent smugness of residents played a part in their inclusion. Winchester was criticised over the “priggish complacency of its inhabitants.”
Dan Kieran, speaking on Channel Four Evening News, said: ‘There is terrible violence in Winchester. I know it has got a growing heroin problem and Winchester council – I really don’t think they know what they are doing.
“Their priority seems to be based purely around shopping and making money for businesses within the town rather than looking after the interests of the people.”
His co-author Sam Jordison described the city as having a “commuter belt unpleasantness about it.”
