Welcome to your worst nightmare. The land of dreams, England, is not always as fancy as you might think.
A list has been recently released mentioning the worst places to live in England after a voting poll was conducted at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.
And today, we are going to pile down that list for you.
1. List of Top 12 Worst Places to Live in England
The residents of the United Kingdom were asked to vote for some of the worst places to live in England, and the audiences on ilivehere.co.uk didn’t hold back.
More than 105,500 audiences voted for the 50 most awful places to reside in England.
Here is the list of the 12 worst places to live and dwell in England according to ilivehere.co.uk and why the places are considered so unpleasant and ghastly.
1.1 Luton
The top spot for one of the worst places to live in England was given to Luton, where the residents claim the town to be unsafe and features an unhappy vibe.
The crime rate in Luton is very high, with very few business and job opportunities. According to the locals, the police don’t take their jobs seriously, and the town is filled with beggars and thieves.
Everything shuts down by the evening, and people feel scared to go out. Additionally, the parents feel unsafe for their children.
There are more than 3,500 homeless people in Luton, thus making it one of the worst places for families to reside permanently.
1.2 Peterborough
The city of Peterborough has a deep, unpleasant vibe and is taken over with foul car fumes and noises. The immigration system is flawed, and a large population of Eastern Europe is dumped in the city of Peterborough, which gives birth to racism.
With a population of more than 215,700, the city is complex, with more than 111 crimes for every 1,000 residents.
Some of the widespread crimes noticed include vehicle crimes, sexual crimes, and violent crimes. Although the cost of living is meagre in Peterborough, the residents of the UK avoid this city because of the high crime rates.
Robbery and theft are widespread on the streets, along with a lot of drug addictions; undoubtedly one of the worst places to live in England.
1.3 Portsmouth
The third worst place to live in England is the city of Portsmouth. In the year 2022, the criminal activity rate was 122 crimes for every 1000 residents, certainly making it one of the most dangerous cities to reside in England.
A lot of bicycle thefts and drug abuse happen in Portsmouth. In addition, in 2022, the city recorded more than 45 records of possessing criminal weapons.
Sexual abuse is also a widespread crime faced by the residents of Portsmouth.
1.4 Slough
Slough is a dump town commonly known as the “concrete jungle“. With a crime rate of 110 crimes for every 1000 people, it comes under the top 5 worst places to live in England.
The most common crimes in Slough include sexual offences and violence. Car stealing, breaking homes, robbing, property crimes, and vandalism are very commonly faced by the Slough locals, making the town one of the awful places in Berkshire.
The streets are filled with trash and empty beer cans, and the bankrupted council does not take the necessary steps to rebuild the town.
1.5 Aylesbury
According to a survey, Aylesbury is named the “crime hotspot” and one of the worst places to live in England. Just an hour’s train from London, the town is an absolute flop for visitors.
It is said that if anyone plans to reside in Aylesbury, it’s good to hire a full-time security guard and a dog to protect the house.
The traffic jams in Aylesbury are dreadful, and the town is filled with disgusting and nasty miscreants.
The crime rate is almost 80 crimes for every 1000 people, which is pretty high. The common crimes include anti-social behaviour, sexual abuse, vehicle crimes, and theft.
1.6 Aldershot
The exact reason for listing Aldershot, one of the worst places to live in England, is unknown. However, it is said that house and property prices are very high in Aldershot.
Also, the schools come up with repeated bad and poor results, showing the sheer carelessness of the school authorities and the staff.
It is a military town with a lot of drunken soldiers loitering around Aldershot day and night. The city faces a lot of crimes along with racism, as shown by the large population of Nepalese people dwelling in Aldershot.
The centre of the town is horrid and is not a great place to settle down with kids.
1.7. Andover
Andover is considered one of the most unsafe towns in Hampshire, making it one of the worst places to live in England. The overall crime rate is high in Andover, which is 106 crimes for every 1000 residents.
It is said that nothing good exists in the town of Andover, and is a complete dirt hole. According to some visitors, the city lacks culture and has no good cinemas, no music and arts, and no decent places to hang out.
The drug addicts and drunkards are seen loitering around the town every hour of the day. The services and utilities of Andover are often compared to the sad city of Chornobyl.
1.8. Swindon
According to some Swindon locals, they feel ashamed to live in Swindon. The streets are filled with drug and alcohol addicts and are a pretty rough place for most residents, eventually making it one of the worst places to live in England.
Swindon is mostly a daily traveller town for jobs but lacks well-paid job opportunities and has poor country line operations.
The traffic and parking are just hell in Swindon, and have not improved and developed its services and utilities. The town has not changed, making it mundane and grey.
Although the crime rate is comparatively low, repeated crimes of criminal violence and damage are not uncommon.
1.9. Bournemouth
Out of Dorset’s 250 towns, Bournemouth is considered one of the most dangerous towns to reside in and settle in. The crime rate in Bournemouth is relatively high, with more than 90 crimes for every 1000 people.
Renting can be very pricey as well as tricky. Although it is a tiny town, Bournemouth is crowded and congested and is one of the underdeveloped places in the UK with a prolonged and delayed progression.
There are pretty bad neighbourhoods in Bournemouth that are not recommended to reside and visit, including Bascombe, which attracts a lot of drug users, and Springbourne, which attracts a lot of prostitutes.
1.10. Bradford
Bradford again falls under the list of worst places to live in England for several concrete reasons. The town has a pretty good level of crime rate, which mainly includes stalking and harassment.
There are a lot of stabbings and shootings, along with drug abuse and prostitution in Bradford.
Most Europeans consider Bradford as a warzone deadlier than Ukraine. A lot of rash driving occurs on the streets of Bradford, making it very dangerous and prone to accidents.
The overall crime rate of Bradford is 160 for every 1000 residents, which is very, very high.
1.11. High Wycombe
High Wycombe is another one of the worst places to live in England and is considered the epicentre of crimes. The town is not very welcoming and is surrounded by litter and trash.
As a residential area, the town of High Wycombe is awful, with an increased rate of unemployment, poor education, and a weak police force.
The city has a large ethnic diversity with many Southeast Asian and Eastern European communities.
A few of the most dangerous and unsafe streets in High Wycombe include Bridge Street, Kaybridge Close, High Street, Ryemead Way, and Church Square.
1.12. Reading
Reading in England is one of the most boring places to live with no cultural life. The traffic in Reading is terrible, and the town is entirely deprived of many utilities.
Maybe it’s not one of the worst places to live in England, but it also has not a very positive town image with a lot of violence and drug abuse.
Many visitors feel Reading is a very depressing and sad town when it comes to entertainment.
Some dangerous streets and neighbourhoods in Reading are Chester Street, Friar Street, Broad Street, Oxford Road, and Cusden Walk.
We hope the article has given you an insight into the top 12 worst places to live in England.
No town is perfect, and every city has pros and cons; thus, this article is never intended to make the cities and their residents look awful and hurt the sentiments.
An ideal town or city must be safe, sustainable, authentic, and inclusive, with excellent transportation, good job and business opportunities, better hospital facilities, a reasonable police force, and high-quality education.
Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty
