A ONCE-beautiful town has become plagued with poo and its water quality is so poor that the sea has turned brown.
Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, was voted one of the worst seaside towns in Britain last month.
But residents have revealed how they were hardly surprised, describing how dog poo, graffiti and a general rundown feel have culminated in the area becoming a “ghost town”.
A new Which survey rated the accommodation, beach, peacefulness, and value for money at a shockingly low 49 per cent.
Of particular note was the sea quality earning the lowest possible score.
Those foolhardy enough to brave the often-filthy brown water, are treated to a view of an eyesore nuclear plant just 10 miles from shore.
But topping the list of grips for locals is the abundance of dog poo carpeting the town’s public spaces.
It has even become a problem on the beach, where pets are supposedly banned during the summer months.
One local told how he watched in horror as a child slipped into the street and face-planted onto a steaming mound of muck.
The resident, a man in his 20s who works at a vape shop, said: “I was waiting for a bus when I saw a little kid trip and face-plant straight onto the dog poo.
“I wasn’t surprised. There’s so much dog muck around the town that it’s hard to avoid.
“There must be so many kids – and adults – treading in it because they haven’t seen it. It’s so unhygienic.”
Rather than scoop up the foul faeces, many dog owners choose to leave it in public spaces – to the fury of locals.
The council, instead of cleaning up the mess, has launched a new policy of circling the dog poo with bright orange paint.
The local authority hopes owners will be shamed into disposing of the filth themselves as a result.
But locals say the new initiative isn’t working.
One said: “It must take just as long to spray paint around it as it would to simply pop it in a doggy back and throw in a bin.
“This policy is crazy. If an owner can’t be bothered to clear their own dog’s mess up, why are they going to care that it’s been ringed with orange paint.
“These owners are totally irresponsible and they’ve helped drag the town to the top of the worst seaside town in Britain league table.
“They should be ashamed of themselves.”
And It’s not just the filthy brine and general lack of attractiveness of the seafront that locals say is dragging the town down.
The town has also experienced a rise in crime, with residents claiming there are large spikes when the tourist population rises.
One local said: “We had a group of teenage tourists with knives. They cornered a foreign lady and told her to go back to her country.
WAR has broken out between hoteliers in Bournemouth after the seaside spot became the first to vote in favour of a tourist tax.
Holidaymakers are set to be charged an extra £2.40 a night as part of the “rushed-through” scheme.
A postal ballot on the council-backed tax passed earlier this year, with 16 hotels voting in favour and 15 against.
But in a last-minute U-turn, plans have been halted after hospitality workers claimed the voting system was flawed.
Supporters of the tax argue that it’s less than a cup of coffee and the additional charge will bring in an extra £2.6 million a year.
The cash will be reinvested into marketing and placemaking and will help to support local events like the Bournemouth Air Show.
Those who voted against the new tax insist it will drive cash-strapped customers away.
A decision is expected to be revealed in the autumn.
Louisa Metcalfe, who was visiting with her family from Somerset told The Telegraph: “Why here? Not exactly welcoming is it?
“I understand places like Venice doing it if overrun with tourists, but Bournemouth surely wants more people to come.”
Fellow holidaymaker Christopher Boyd agreed: “The vast majority won’t fancy paying extra to visit a place in their own country, I think it’ll sadly go someway to killing the town.”
David Howard, who works at Leisureplex Hotels, said his customers aren’t happy with the levy.
To make matters worse, the new rule will only apply to hotels with a rateable value of more than £40,000.
Airbnbs, which already pose a threat to the traditional hotels, will also dodge the extra charge.
“It was shocking. The tourists here are light-fingered.
“We have had people try to nick things on the daily in summer months when tourism is booming.”
Locals also point to a huge problem of safety, making beach lifeguards among the most needed workers in the town.
It comes after Peter Jefferey, a 68-year-old estate builder from Somerset, tragically drowned while attempting to save a woman and her dog from the harsh tides in October last year
Burnham local Marilyn Nickles, 71, said she is shocked that visitors ignore red flags put out along the beach warning people not to swim.
She said: “They are there for a reason. They are bringing trouble to themselves. Years ago I remember a little boy drowned.
“I don’t know exactly what happened but we have dangerous swells around the jetty that cause a huge amount of problems.
“I don’t know what the town would do without the lifeguards here. I wish people would just listen when they are told not to swim.”
Many locals are also angry at the council for neglecting the town and its beaches.
Local food bank worker, 56-year-old Richard Anderson said he felt a “sense of hopelessness” about the situation.
Businesses are also complaining they are forking out too much of their costs on rent.
One owner said: “The cost of rent is so high that loads of the shops here have had to shut.
“Then they’ve been replaced with multiple charity shops and 14 hairdressers. We have no central community now.
“You can walk down the street on a Saturday at 10am in the winter months and you don’t see a single person for the whole walk. Most of the year, the place is a ghost town.”
Sarah Butler-Mills, 31, and business leader Jill Harper, 59, visited Burnham for the day earlier this week.
They described their trip to the seaside town as “bearable”, but only for a couple of hours, adding that a whole day would be “unmanageable”.
The pair cited the town’s 37-metre pier – believed to be the shortest in Britain – as urgently in need of “some TLC”.
Jill said: “Also, the amusement arcade needs to be updated. The machines are old and it needs bringing alive.
“That alone could save the town.”
Another local worker in the high street added: “The whole place is rubbish.”
A spokesperson for Somerset Council, addressing the dog mess issue, said: “Like everywhere nationwide, it is the responsibility of every dog owner to pick up after their dog.
“The dog bins in Burnham on Sea are emptied on a daily basis. Somerset Council’s dog warden regularly patrols in Burnham and we have prosecuted irresponsible dog owners.”
The council added that the pier is a “privately owned facility”.
