“COSTA del Dole” is the nickname residents gave to their seaside town, considered one of the worst in the United Kingdom.
Rundown Rhyl, in north Wales, was described as dead and its streets littered with rubbish after it was awarded the title of The telegraph last year.
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Residents and tourists said the town had “rapidly declined”, with failed regeneration projects, dirty streets and anti-social behavior problems.
Retired chef Stephen Holmes, 73, said the area had become such a dump that tourists were taking their money elsewhere.
Holmes said: “There is nothing that attracts people here.”
He added: “I don’t come at night anymore because I know there will be problems. It’s a real shame.”
According to scooter rider Tim Lloyd, 58, the city is also literally turning into a landfill, with streets littered with rubbish from overflowing bins.
The run-down West End area has also become a hotbed of drug consumption and trafficking.
A former addict told The Sun that crack and heroin sell for just £10 a packet.
Sharon Hughes, 37, mother of two, called the city’s degradation a “tragedy”, saying that “empty houses or buildings are turned into drug dens”.
Recent figures revealed that opioids were the leading cause of drug-related deaths in Wales between 2022 and 2023.
Of the 125 recorded opioid deaths, 64 involved heroin or morphine, and the remainder included methadone, codeine and tramadol.
For Lyndsey Scott, 45, a mother of four, her drug problem is so bad she’s afraid to walk down the street where she grew up.
His daughter Demi, 28, added: “There is very little to do. We just came to do her nails.”
Rhyl is the third most dangerous city of its size in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to CrimeRate.
The most common crimes are violence and sexual crimes, with more than 2,500 crimes committed in 2023.
Crime and safety in Rhyl
Violence and sexual offenses are the most common crimes in Rhyl, with 2,563 crimes last year, giving a crime rate of 103.
This is 8% lower than the 2022 crime figure of 2,771 and an 8.34 difference from the 2022 crime rate of 111, according to CrimeRate.
Rhyl’s least common crime is robbery from a person, with 18 crimes recorded last year, a 28% drop on 2022’s figure of 25 crimes.
While locals lament the city’s deterioration, for tourist Emma Brown, 64, from Manchester, Rhyl has some redeeming qualities.
Although some areas are degraded, he highlighted: “the beach is beautiful and has charm”.
She added: “Brings back good memories for me.”
Rhyl Police have been contacted for comment.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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