The 10 most rundown British seaside towns have been named by tourists, in a survey of thousands of holidaymakers.
Which? Travel surveyed feelings about their visits to 120 British seaside towns, aggregating the scores on the quality of beaches, food and drink offerings, tourist attractions and value for money.
The best-reviewed British town, Bamburgh in Northumberland, got rave reviews and scored a solid 86%, averaging five stars across all categories.
Visitors were blown away by the “spectacular views” of its medieval fortress, Bamburgh Castle, which crowns a rocky outcrop that stretches into the sea; other towns had more lacklustre responses.
But at the bottom of the pile, Wales’ oldest town, Bangor, scored a measly 42%, receiving one lonely star for food, tourist attractions and shopping.
In reverse order, these are the 10 most dismal seaside towns according to Which? Travel.
10. Southend-On-Sea, Essex
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Despite being one of the few coastal UK towns boasting an airport, the Essex town managed an overall score of just 53%.
Southend locals described how the spot had become a “warzone”, as gang tensions have fuelled physical and sexual violence between local youths and those travelling down from London.
The raucous antics of the gangs may explain why it was only given one star for its peace and quiet and shopping.
Last July, horrific footage showed hooded thugs wielding machetes fighting near Adventure Island- a scene that would put a dampener on anyone’s day out.
On the other hand, the town is due a TOWIE-style makeover to the tune of £10million.
Roslin Beach Hotel plans to add seven bedrooms to its current 27, a spa, a new wedding venue and outdoor restaurant facilities.
The town promises potential with Times writer Cathy Adams, dubbing the spot a “Slice of Miami”, and lots of celebs have been spotted visiting in recent months.
A Lister, Michelle Keegan, spent her first Mother’s Day there, and visited with her new baby and husband Mark Wright on Sunday, 20 March.
Gary Barlow, Tyson Fury, Denise van Outen and Frankie Essex have all popped by as well.
9. Fleetwood, Lancashire
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The Lancashire town tried to rebrand itself out of what its own mayor admitted was a “terrible reputation” by doing up its seafront into a “slick promenade” with modern infrastructure.
However, survey respondents remained unimpressed, giving it just one star for its tourist attractions and shopping.
On the upside, its low footfall means it’s very easy to find a parking space, for which it scored four stars.
Hotel prices are also a steal at £73 a night.
The former fishing village was filleted in the 1970s during an industrial dispute with Iceland, nicknamed the “cod wars.”
The industry all but evaporated, and almost all the jobs were jettisoned.
Terry Rogers, a former mayor and chairman of Fleetwood Town Council, admits some still have “unwarranted” views of the town’s infamous drinking culture.
But he hit back, telling LancashireLive: “Post-COVID, people were so impressed by our beach areas and promenade and how cheap everything is in comparison to other towns, they’ve come back.”
8. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
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Technically, in joint place with Fleetwood, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk also scored a scant 51%.
To be fair, it scored a respectable three stars for its beaches and tourist attractions, perhaps in part due to its iconic snail ride.
Ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe even hopped on the fluorescent green ride for a photo-op.
However, it only got one star for peace and quiet.
Designed and built by Horace Cole, the snails have been chugging along the beachfront since 1949.
Sun reader Daryl Smith said: “If you don’t ride the snails when you visit, then you haven’t had a proper Great Yarmouth experience.”
The constituency also boasts the boat that brought Willy Wonka to England in the Hollywood blockbuster.
The childish excitement at popping on the free boat may explain why the spot only got one star for peace and quiet.
7. Blackpool, Lancashire
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The famous seaside town clocked just 49%, but have no fear, the hotels are the cheapest of the lot, costing an average of £80 a night.
The enormous, incredibly famous Blackpool Pleasure Beach wasn’t enough to impress tourists, with the area’s attractions earning just three stars.
However, it was the shopping and the scenery that really floored its score at one star each.
Erosion has been nibbling away at its iconic beach for years, but a new £30million investment plan is in the works, funded by the Environment Agency.
Five new rock groynes, which are long, narrow structures, will maintain the spot.
The quaintly coloured houses still attract tourists, locals say, but the wrong kind of tourists.
Swarms of badly behaved visitors, fuelled by the boom of short-term Airbnb lets, have created a plague of all-night partiers, and even encouraged prostitution, according to locals.
6. Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
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Visit Essex promotes its local Clacton on Sea as a “bustling but affordable seaside resort,” but a score of 48% calls that into question.
Dubbed the “worst place to live in the UK”, Farage’s constituency is one of the poorest spots in the country.
Tourists shot down its “crumbling” scenery and “dying” city centre with a shocking one rating.
One even said: “I spend as little time in the town as possible.”
This marks a dramatic fall from grace, since it was named Pier of the Year in 2020.
But locals shouldn’t lose hope, as it may soon have £20million injected by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to rejuvenate the town’s “horrible atmosphere.”
The cash is set to be used for a series of projects, including a £3million investment into a leisure centre, seafront art, a community micro venue and improved shopfronts- so watch this space.
5. Skegness, Lincolnshire
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Although Skegness didn’t even manage a 50% approval rating, scoring 48%, it is coming up in the world.
In 2023, the town, which has been described as a “vulgar hellhole” with “brown sea,” earned the macabre title of the worst seaside town in the country.
However, a new rail upgrade by East Midlands Railway, worth £60million, is predicted to bring a wave of investment into the rundown area.
An astonishing £23million has been pegged to spruce up the ”terrible place.”
Enhancements planned include brand-new seats, tables, as well as modern power and charging facilities.
Regardless, Sun reporter Catherine Lofthouse found the town, as is, “no-frills fun in the sun.”
4. Bognor Regis, West Sussex
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Ranked the fourth worst seaside town in the country, with an average score of just 47%, the town’s pier and shopping were given just one star by Brits.
But some locals poked holes in the survey, after coming bottom of the list in 2019.
Jo Millen, the owner of Bognor ice cream shop Rainbows, told The Guardian: “Which? should just keep advising us about the washing machine that we should buy, rather than grade the negative views about Bognor from people on the internet.”
However, Sun journalist Catherine Lofthouse tried out the new £1.8million soft play area and her kids “loved it.”
A breaking bad style stash of crystal meth was discovered in its Grade II Picturedrome in 2021- but it does boast a Butlins and a Centre Parc- and even on a bank holiday hotels can cost you just £69.
3. Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset
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Astonishingly, Burnham on Sea also scraped 47%, which although dismal is quite an achievement considering the “once beautiful town has become plagued with poo.”
More shockingly, although the turd infested waters has literally turned Brown, the hotels are quite spenny at £106 a night.
Despite being slammed with one star for tourist attractions, food and drink, and shopping, it’s not that cheap.
Locals weren’t surprised at the shockingly low score, citing graffiti, dog poo and a generally rundown feel.
But once again, piles of cash may spell a brighter future, as Unity Beach resort has just undergone a £ 15 million renovation, sporting a new pub and sports bar on site.
The Wonky Donkey pub will serve family meals until late, while the Sports Caf streams live matches, whilst punters can play futuristic virtual reality gaming.
2. Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
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With a miserly 46%, Maplethorpe’s run down fell earnt it the second lowest spot on the list.
Scoring just two stars for value for money, peace and quiet, its seafront, and just one star for food and drink, tourist attractions and shopping, which respondents were not impressed.
Locals were shocked at the result, having received the same score last year.
They cited their “award-winning beach” and popular seaside cafes, along with their funky Aqua Park.
One praised:” It’s lovely, an enormous, clean beach and traditional atmosphere.”
Claire Arnold, Maplethorpe’s mayor, argued that the survey was not a “true reflection of what our town has to offer.”
“We have a beautiful promenade where people can walk from the coastal town of Mablethorpe right over to Sutton and back again, we’ve got a free public paddling pool, and we’ve got blue flag beaches.”
Sun readers also said the town is home to their favourite “North East Seaside Eats”, loving the beach bar in a boat to the pirate-themed fish and chip shop.
1. Bangor, Gwynedd
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At the top of the depressing list was Wales’ oldest city, Bangor, voted the worst seaside town for the second year in a row.
At 42%, it got just one-star ratings for food, tourist attractions and shopping, and two stars for everything else.
Labelled “drab” and “run down” despite being perched next to the beautiful natural landscape of the Menai Strait, the town doesn’t have a huge amount to do.
Its Grade II Victorian pier is not geared for tourism and doesn’t have a proper beach.
The closure of Debenhams in 2021 signalled another blow to the struggling town, and the local retail park has hit the high street hard.
Bangor City Council said in a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s disappointing to see Bangor City named as one of the UK’s worst seaside towns. Such rankings often fail to capture the full picture and the unique charms that make Bangor City so special.”
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