To nominate as the country's worst town centre....

[moogster1a]

...Rochdale.
Good God it's a god forsaken place. There appears to be half a dozen payday loan shos, a few poundland things and some mobile 'phone shops.
It's got so bad that even maccy d's has shut down.
It's only redeeming feature is that Gabbots farm is still clinging on.

Where is Spennymoor? I feel like I should visit to see if it truly is worse than Rochdale.

Sheerness and the whole of the Isle of Sheppey. Yikes.

"Stockport is indeed a dump" Oh I don't think it's as bad as all that! (No I don't live there, honestly) Granted it is never going to be a top tourist destination and, with the proximity of Manchester and the Trafford Centre, it will never be a top shopping destination. But I have been to many worse places.

BelleDameSansMerci "Cannot believe no-one has mentioned Doncaster - it's worse than Rotherham"
I am curious now. I was brought up near there and Doncaster was a weekly destination to shop - it was also the only place for miles around with any night life. However, I haven't really been to the town centre there for years. I remember it as being quite a buzzing town centre with one of the best markets in the country. Is it really so dire now compared to other places? Shame. Is the market still any good?

Stoke on trent

Dartford. What a fucking kazi.

moogster1a
It's just off the A167 between Durham and Darlington BUT
really don't bother, you won't miss anything much

Reading AKA Tesco town gets my vote its grey, even when its sunny its grey. It is a clone town with 13 yes count them 13 Tesco's, and 2 of the stores are Tesco superstores about a 10 min drive from each other. Added to that there is 2 Tesco metros in the town center. There are very few independent stores because business rates are so high.

Loughborough. Dear Christ what a soulless shithole that place is. In term time there is nothing but students (1/3 of the population) who couldn't give a shit about the place and when they clear out there is nothing. It's not grim per se, but it makes me cringe.

My ex lives there and it is just :(

I have come back to add King's Lynn. Now matter how much regeneration there is its still a dump.

Affectionally known as Bins Lynn to lots of people.

Luton is a frickin' dive.

Erith, anyone?

Halifax

Oh and south shields depresses me, not been for a while and would hope it has improved since my last visit.

I live on the edge of Teesside but safely in North Yorkshire and I have to say it is a depressing place to live. And this is coming from someone who has lived in the area all of my life. I agree with the pp who mentioned that many on this list are industrial towns with no industry and it is so true. Stockton has never been a nice place but it's truely terrible now, soley due to the fact that there are no jobs.
On the other hand, I don't think that poundshops, cash converters etc are necessarily bad for the area as, in Stockton-On-Tees for example, that's just where people shop. Having a Waitrose or lots of expensive independent shops in fact would be a lot worse on the local economy than cheaper shops where people actually buy things. Also you really can't beat a Cooplands sausage roll!

Nobody mentioned Runcorn? The arsehole of England?

We've taken DD to rowing races at Runcorn, I agree it's grim. We did also got to Boston which was awful, the rowers had to dodge the debris flowing down the river.

Halifax has nice markets, the lovely Piece Hall and places like Shibden Hall nearby !!!

There have to be 3 worse than Halifax

I have just returned from Coventry. Dear God. What a dump. The town planners should have invited the Luftwaffe to bomb it again.

Rugby - completely and utterly soulless.

Fakenham in Norfolk.

I rest my case.

5Foot5 (same as me), Doncaster made me want to cry. I was doing some (pointless) work with Rotherham Council and they were trying to include Doncaster. Both towns are very run down and it's heartbreaking. I do think Doncaster is worse than Rotherham - feels like there is even less hope there.

Just felt like both communities have been ripped to bits and abandoned by Central Govt.

mrswoodentop I went to school in Stowmarket (in the 80s). It was shite then and it hasn't improved that I've noticed. Not that I visit that often.

Dewsbury got to be in there also milton keynes! My dh lol at this and wants to know why hartleypool not there!

rofl at happyinhert's description of burnt oak! i tried to go there the other day and the parking systems has changed and was so complicated i didn't bother i guess they really don't like people visiting burnt oak much

Hartlepool is most definitely on the list!

Butterpopcorn - Peterlee definitely. Concrete cess pit and the Asda there makes me want to either curl up and cry or murder someone.

Hartlepool is where people from Peterlee go when they want to live it up and flash the cash!