BRITAIN’S first ever seaside resort is now a drug-ravaged hell filled with tents lining the streets, locals say.
Thousands of visitors used to flock to the two sandy beaches of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, every summer.
But the town’s high street is now littered with boarded up shops and has become a haven for anti-social behaviour, alcohol and recreational drugs.
Fed up locals have slammed the steep decline of the coastal town.
Civil servant Vic Harris, 70, said: “You just have to look around you to see it.
“There’s nothing but vape shops, charity shops, budget shops and
boarded up shops. It looks like a town in decline and that’s just
through neglect and a major lack of investment.
“It’s hard to think that this was once thought of as a great resort
and things seem to have got worse.
“There is a high level of violence, especially at weekends and there
is also a real drug problem which you can see in the town centre and
also recreational drug use at night.
“Antisocial behaviour is also a difficulty that people have
unfortunately had to get used to.”
The situation has worsened to the extent a town hall meeting was called last week to address a “general feeling of being unsafe”.
The meeting was called by councillor Rich Maw, who claimed he was getting daily reports of public drinking, unruly behaviour, suspected drug abuse and intimidation.
Locals have also complained of rowdy noise and the number of tents dotted around the town.
The South Cliff area has been particularly troubled by the number of rough sleepers, some in threadbare tents, who hide themselves in bushes and other shelters.
Care worker Keeley Harris, 22, said: “The amount of drug use in the town is crazy, that’s in terms of what they call recreational drugs like cocaine but also with people becoming addicted.
“It’s a big problem here and I’ve seen it at first hand because I have
had friends who have gone down that pipehole.”
Scarborough first rose to prominence as a holiday hot spot in the 17th century when Elizabeth Farrow discovered a stream of acidic water running down the cliff and into the sea in the South Bay.
She found the water had healing qualities, working in the same way as stomach salts, before Dr Robert Wittie published a book about the spa waters in 1660.
“Scarborough Spa” was subsequently born and the town became Britain’s first seaside resort, eventually adding bathing machines in 1735.
The Grand Hotel, which once hosted the likes of Sir Winston Churchill
and The Beatles, was later built in 1876.
But the hotel is a far cry from its hey day and has received a string of stinging TripAdvisor reviews.
Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Police says it is working hard to combat crime and disorder in the town.
A spokesman added: “North Yorkshire Police works collaboratively with North Yorkshire Council in Scarborough town to combat crime and disorder and to make it a safe space for residents, businesses and
visitors alike.
“The night-time economy is well-managed by licensed premises thanks to the collective efforts of Licensing departments within both the police and council working alongside the Scarborough Neighbourhood Policing Team.
“We have a variety of operations in place around prevention and early
intervention. These include Operation Vigilant which involves
specialist behaviour detection techniques to identify those who pose
harm to women and girls, and ‘hotspot’ policing patrols using
intelligence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.
“We also have Operation Culture focusing on street drinkers which is a significant concern in our community.”
