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AIBU?

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Is our town a shithole..

860 replies

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 13:53

Or is this happening anywhere else?

I have been discussing this with friends, family and colleagues recently so won't name our town for privacy reasons, but it is a regular, large town in England, UK.
Nothing particularly special or awful about it, previously.

Since the pandemic, the entire vibe has changed. Almost unrecognisable.
Yes, we have some heavy shop closures like many towns, but the council kept it looking decent as much as it could. Some nice buildings and nature areas, etc.

What stands out most, apart from the general vandalism and dog shit is the weird accumulation of male groups hanging around boozing in public.

So far they have taken over the local park, river walks and nature reserves. They often cluster beneath bridges or across paths where people like to run, cycle walk dogs or take children, making it less safe and filling these areas with waste. Off road bikes have ruined the nature reserves, so less people visit Sad

Sadly the authorities don't seem to be doing much about it, it is as if these people don't have to abide by laws that the rest of us have to. Some buildings adjacent to these areas have windows put through on a regular basis, even in what you'd call 'nice' areas.
Many of them cluster at river bridges and block the path for others, most are very drunk or out of generally.
It isn't unusual to see a large man passed out across the pathway, blocking anyone getting past. If you had a pram or bike it would be really uncomfortable to have to rouse a large drunk at 2pm in the afternoon. Most are local men, with a growing amount of middle eastern men. The vast majority of them are unstable.

We see less women out cycling, walking or exercising now, and this encompasses both MC and WC areas. These people seem to have just multiplied and spread across the entire borough and have taken over all public space.
We live in a decent area that is now seeming to go downhill.
It isn't unusual to see day drinkers sat alone, surrounded by cans on a quiet residential street. And they won't move to let you past.

It's really depressing.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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MatthewL · 12/06/2025 14:20

I lived in Folkestone in the mid to late 2000s.

i can say without fear of contradiction it was an absolute shithole

bostongirl222 · 12/06/2025 14:19

Name change for this yes my town is exactly like this if you know, you know. Been going on for years eu men sitting in town setting drinking all day, crime has shot up we was named most murderous place to live at one point.

Westfacing · 12/06/2025 14:19

Dangermoo · 12/06/2025 14:15

Well spotted.

Yep!

RiceKisspies · 12/06/2025 14:17

Happened here too

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:17

Well it seems that apart from wigan and slough it doesn't exist!

I must be hallucinating Grin

OP posts:
Fuzzypinetree · 12/06/2025 14:16

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:09

Our town is quite small, though, and not in the UK.

So why post?

Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot the final bit...
Yes, sounds like you live in a shithole and no, not everywhere is like this (and we've got loads of foreign men round here...and women and children). We don't have drunk people around, despite a much lower legal drinking age.

AnotherNaCha · 12/06/2025 14:15

Our town is an absolute shithole too. I think it’s across the UK unless you’re in a very rich well-to-do place and even then it’s probably going on behind the scenes. When I go to Europe or further it’s depressing to return to filthy streets, drunk and ill people shouting etc. IMO the country is at a low point

Dangermoo · 12/06/2025 14:15

Westfacing · 12/06/2025 14:12

Ah, someone noticed I mentioned Middle Eastern men
How predictable

No one has mentioned Middle Eastern men? Apart from you.

Well spotted.

SapporoBaby · 12/06/2025 14:15

I think we need more police to deal with antisocial behaviour. Drunk and disorderly people, people
drunk and sleeping on the paths etc should all be sent to do community service to build working skills and keep them off the street. It feels like we need to bring back shame or something as nobody cares about their reputation or standing in the community.

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:14

SlugsWon · 12/06/2025 14:13

Sounds grim. Urban poverty often is

Yes, you keep mentioning poverty.
I am presuming it fascinates you.

The areas it has spread to are parks, recreational areas and public spaces, even in the higher income areas. This is concerning for everyone, really, not just people struggling.

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OneLoudTiger · 12/06/2025 14:14

My town (it is technically a city but doesn’t feel like it!) is not so bad.

Tourism has BOOMED where I live in the last 5/6 years so a lot of tartan tat shops and restaurants have popped up. But the actual centre has declined in that time, still several boarded up shops and restaurants and lots of empty units in the shopping centre.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 12/06/2025 14:14

You have only used this username on this thread.
How on earth can it be outing to say which town?

Anyway, all I'll say is if you are talking about Wigan or Slough, then I think your assessment of being a bit of a shit hole may well be correct (but those two are for a whole plethora of reasons)
Otherwise I've no idea - give us a clue.

IwasDueANameChange · 12/06/2025 14:14

I live near an affluent south east town and we do not have any of this

Isittimeformynapyet · 12/06/2025 14:14

OhPatti · 12/06/2025 14:04

Well, OP mentions river walks so this isn’t a seaside town she’s talking about…

I live in a seaside town with a river.

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:13

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

SlugsWon · 12/06/2025 14:13

Sounds grim. Urban poverty often is

Westfacing · 12/06/2025 14:12

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:06

Ah, someone noticed I mentioned Middle Eastern men.
How predictable.
Makes a change from being called woke, I suppose. Enough of that rubbish please.

I am interested in why so many men alone, never with women, seemingly unemployed or at least in a desperate mess are filling up public space with boozing here. No one seems to be either dealing with it or assisting them.
I have no idea why it has grown so suddenly since covid.

Ah, someone noticed I mentioned Middle Eastern men
How predictable

No one has mentioned Middle Eastern men? Apart from you.

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:11

It has seemingly spread from the deprived parts, it is pretty much all over now, at least in parks and walks. Nature reserves and wetlands are ruined.

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SlugsWon · 12/06/2025 14:10

I mean, yeah. Sounds like a shit hole. Deprived area I take it?

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:09

Our town is quite small, though, and not in the UK.

So why post?

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FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:08

Crikeyalmighty · 12/06/2025 14:04

I went back to my home town in the midlands last October and found it exactly like this - was quite a shock as hadn’t been back for many years. My friend there told me it started going very downhill15 years ago and spectacularly downhill in last 4 years - anyone with any standards just avoided the centre at all and just stuck to their own area and external retail parks - all very depressing - we live in Bath and yes we get some of this kind of crap too contrary to what many might think -the big difference is we have really nice stuff still to kind of balance it off - my home town had nothing remotely nice to balance the crap at all - I couldn’t live there- very depressing - thing is it’s a very Reform type area and I guess people look at it simplistically and think that’s an easy solution and the problems are all caused by the kind of things Reform bangs on about - it really isn’t - the town is predominantly white working class and a ton of the anti social stuff is caused by people drinking far too much, drugs, generally not giving a shit about not dropping litter or pissing up the sides of buildings , not bothering with gardens etc. it also has a lack of well paid higher end jobs or investment ( previously did get a fair bit from EU) - Reform isn’t suddenly going to be able to change those factors.

Yes, the reform stuff is growing here, too, but probably not due to these drinkers.
On a walk last week we saw a few windows sporing some ugly political messages.
People are outspoken about their bigotry now, where they used to seem like pretty broad minded folk.

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NeedthatFridayfeeling · 12/06/2025 14:08

I work in York and haven't noticed much change other than if anything it gets busier, there are a handful of homeless people, there always has been, they generally keep in their group and don't bother passers by etc (could be different at night, i don't know, though i didn't see them Saturday night when i was out)
Where i grew on the other hand isn't great.

Fuzzypinetree · 12/06/2025 14:06

It isn't at all like where we live. Our town seems quite safe, lots of building work going on, though. We've just had a new cafe open in the park, our tiny shopping centre is getting a revamp and we frequently have people about walking dogs and cycling. There's one man dressed from head to toe in bright orange (bless him) who seems to use our road as part of his daily speed walking route. I have no issue getting out and about with the pushchair. You don't see any drunk people in the street during the day, and it would be very rare to see any homeless people around. Not the area for it and our local police force would move anyone on rather quickly.
Our town is quite small, though, and not in the UK.
There are more homeless people in the closest bigger town...and in the large city about 30 minutes away.

Crikeyalmighty · 12/06/2025 14:06

@Westfacing and that’s by the way why I mentioned Reform in my post just now - the issues are nothing to do with anything Reform would change- everything to do with other issues over a very long period

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:06

Ah, someone noticed I mentioned Middle Eastern men.
How predictable.
Makes a change from being called woke, I suppose. Enough of that rubbish please.

I am interested in why so many men alone, never with women, seemingly unemployed or at least in a desperate mess are filling up public space with boozing here. No one seems to be either dealing with it or assisting them.
I have no idea why it has grown so suddenly since covid.

OP posts: