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Original poster

UK city so dirty

58 replies

Ontobetterthings · 02/11/2024 14:35

Just come back from my holiday abroad. Had a city break. It was lovely, beautiful buildings. Everything was so clean.

Was just driving home (midlands city). Everything looks do run down, dirty and it's just so depressing 😞

OP posts:
DinaofCloud9 · 02/11/2024 21:36

I remember being shocked when I was a kid at the amount of graffiti in France and Spain.

tinytemper66 · 02/11/2024 21:34

@Weirdatwork I never saw any (except for one that was in the museum that has been written in 5BC or something...

Weirdatwork · 02/11/2024 19:42

tinytemper66 · 02/11/2024 19:15

Just returned from Athens. Graffiti absolutely everywhere (not on ruins onv (yet)!

There's graffiti on the ruins. There was fifty years ago.

tinytemper66 · 02/11/2024 19:15

Just returned from Athens. Graffiti absolutely everywhere (not on ruins onv (yet)!

Weirdatwork · 02/11/2024 18:56

MildGreenDairyLiquid · 02/11/2024 17:27

It’s true. Everywhere in the UK is a squalid dystopian cesspit and everywhere else is a verdant, clean utopia. It must be. I’ve been on holiday there.

😆 Great response to this kind of silliness.

Weirdatwork · 02/11/2024 18:53

Ontobetterthings · 02/11/2024 14:35

Just come back from my holiday abroad. Had a city break. It was lovely, beautiful buildings. Everything was so clean.

Was just driving home (midlands city). Everything looks do run down, dirty and it's just so depressing 😞

Try Palermo. Disgusting.
So tired if the 'it's all so wonderful abroad' crowd.

Jessie1259 · 02/11/2024 18:51

Some places in Europe wash all the streets down early in the morning. All street cleaning in England seems to have been completely cut and I agree it's becoming a shit tip in places. Mind you I went to Wales a few years ago and some some of the sides of the roads in the South were far worse.

V0xPopuli · 02/11/2024 18:41

Have a walk around the central tourist areas of London, you'll find those are also very well kept.

A relative lived in budapest for a bit, like any capital city the affluent centre is lovely but venture beyond that and its far from perfect

Catza · 02/11/2024 18:38

mitogoshigg · 02/11/2024 17:15

Depends where you went, many countries are grimy and filthy plus on holiday you tend to see the nice bits. Honestly take Paris, nobody goes to the rough or even middling parts

Even central Paris stinks of piss. Always has, always will

KnittedCardi · 02/11/2024 17:44

Our village is clean, because we have regular litter picks, our roads are clean, because we have a lovely old chap who goes out on his bike every day and collects litter from the verges.

The council have recently cut all the verges and done a big clean up. So pretty lucky.

The problem is the feckless little shits who speed around the lanes throwing their takeaway trash out the windows. Their parents obviously have no pride, or standards, and therefore their children have no social responsibility. It's a societal issue.

Also litter breads litter, if you get used to living in a tip, you don't notice any more. I think councils should spend money in street cleaning, and also make it obligatory for shopping center shops, and restaurants to keep their areas clean and tidy.

MildGreenDairyLiquid · 02/11/2024 17:27

It’s true. Everywhere in the UK is a squalid dystopian cesspit and everywhere else is a verdant, clean utopia. It must be. I’ve been on holiday there.

HalloweenHaribo · 02/11/2024 17:24

I went to Prague recently and the streets were a shit tip.

cwcanfo · 02/11/2024 17:23

Ontobetterthings · 02/11/2024 17:06

To budapest

Show quote history

I go to Budapest fairly regularly and there are lots of places that are filthy. There's a whole stretch along the river bank south of central Pest which is occupied by a lot of people living in tents, there's rubbish and graffiti everywhere.

Blaha Luzja Ter is very grotty, especially the underpasses at the metro station where a lot of homeless live. The area around Keleti station is also filthy.

If you only visit the centre it is very beautiful and clean but you don't have to go far to find dirt and mess to rival any British city.

I live in Salzburg and visitors always go on about how beautiful and wonderful and clean it is. Yeah, if you go to Mirabell gardens and the old town or some of the nicer areas of town. There are plenty of absolute shitholes around not far from the centre.

FaceLikeACrackedScreen · 02/11/2024 17:22

Actually, I remember Seville being full of dog shit in 1999.

FaceLikeACrackedScreen · 02/11/2024 17:21

Local authorities have had budgets cut year on year from central government. Funds need to be directed to social care and education before environmental/landscaping/litter. Heck, many LAs are in a perilous financial position.

It is just a fact of the fiscal position the country is in. Higher taxes would be required to make the country look like it did 30 years ago.

Cuppachuchu · 02/11/2024 17:20

I've never seen so much dog poo on the street as there was in Paris, such a shame.

MrsMoastyToasty · 02/11/2024 17:17

I have found mainland Spain (coastal and central) to be really bad for litter, graffiti and dog mess. This year we went to Menorca and it was so clean.

Mmmkaay · 02/11/2024 17:17

We got back from Las Palmas a week ago and I agree, it was beautifully clean compared to the UK. Bars and restaurants everywhere but no litter on the streets. So many well turned out people too, there seems to be a much greater sense of pride there!

mitogoshigg · 02/11/2024 17:16

Central Budapest is lovely, if you come in on the train though you see the rougher bits

mitogoshigg · 02/11/2024 17:15

Depends where you went, many countries are grimy and filthy plus on holiday you tend to see the nice bits. Honestly take Paris, nobody goes to the rough or even middling parts

BitOutOfPractice · 02/11/2024 17:12

I don’t know where you live op but Budapest seemed pretty scruffy to me. Not as scruffy as Bucharest though which was really down at heel. Paris also always seems scruffy to me. Lots of places are run down, in the UK, rest of Europe and beyond.

Original poster
Ontobetterthings · 02/11/2024 17:06

KnittedCardi · 02/11/2024 16:36

Where have you been OP??

To budapest

OP posts:
ChannelFiveDrama · 02/11/2024 16:52

A lot of European cities are designed for outdoors living so lots of squares and boulevards. I think that tends to help with their upkeep but yes definitely the roads into and out of most major cities are pretty groitty.

Surgicalprecison · 02/11/2024 16:49

Make a difference and clear up your little patch of it, encourage everyone around you to do the same.

beachsandseaicecream · 02/11/2024 16:47

Agreed @SnacklessWonder I love Italy, used to live there, but it can come across as very run down. I still absolutely love it though.