Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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
6
username2373 · 12/06/2025 14:04

I was just saying to dh that I saw two/ three groups and a couple of lone men out of it when I went to town centre recently. It’s a smaller town. I don’t often go to town centre - just home, work, dc school- and I guess that’s true for many other decent people, especially if working from home/shopping online.. So it seems they are taking over- yes.
More disturbingly there’s also many young parents with children that I find rude/rough. Our school is full of them and I feel bad for not moving town for my child, but are they just everywhere?

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.

OhPatti · 12/06/2025 14:04

Mrsbloggz · 12/06/2025 14:02

Seaside towns have always been prone to these types of things, ime.

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

Westfacing · 12/06/2025 14:02

This reply has been deleted

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

Mrsbloggz · 12/06/2025 14:02

Seaside towns have always been prone to these types of things, ime.

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:01

There must be so many people up and down the country having such discussions!

Would love to hear more if it's that common.

OP posts:
Turmerictolly · 12/06/2025 14:01

Difficult to comment without knowing the town. However, there are places like this up and down the Uk and they are very depressing. Complex reasons for it.

FroggletTowers · 12/06/2025 14:00

I have friends and family on MN, I mean.
You often refer to it as 'outing'?

OP posts:
Westfacing · 12/06/2025 13:58

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.

How does naming your town affect your privacy? There must be so many people up and down the country having such discussions!

Wolfpa · 12/06/2025 13:55

It is completely different to all of the towns I am associated with but I hear that these stories are getting more common