‘Forgotten’ British territory where locals say it’s ‘worse than being sent away for murder’

Blackpool residents say there is a “clear divide” between them and the coast’s tourist hotspots, with problems including anti-social behaviour, littering, drug dealing and personal hygiene

A costcutter sits in a small converted garage on a street corner in Blackpool.

The lots on either side look empty, with boards covering their windows.

Close to the Promenade’s bright lights and well-kept vacation rentals, nearby streets are filled with single-family homes.

But according to local residents who serve the business, there’s a “clear divide” between them and the tourist hotspots on the seafront.

They have common problems like garbage, reports LancashireLivebut here it is left unattended – with ever-higher piles of rubbish.

While donkey stables and a cultural trail are within walking distance, residents of this part of the resort say they feel there is nothing they can do about the daily anti-social behavior and litter for seagulls in the alleyways.

Tracey Pipon, 57, moved to the area in 1989. The market trader had to limit her trips to other cities due to fuel costs.

Recently, she was at her wits about the ongoing waste behind her home and has started sharing videos on Facebook denouncing the litter.

Despite years of PACT (Police And Communities Together) meetings where residents have asked for deterrents or even video surveillance to be installed in the patrolled lanes, this still hasn’t happened.

Tracey said residents had been asking for a deterrent to be installed “for years” but nothing ever turned up.

“Why do we have to put up with this? Kids are playing soccer in the street, beating them against the bay windows, it scares the hell out of you and I’m young, imagine you’re 70 or so, you can’t walk around because there’s gangs of them, don’t play, they destroy ‘ Tracey explained.

The sidewalks on the street are covered with broken glass and garbage, the power cables above them are also wrapped with shoes.

“This is the worst the area has ever seen,” Tracey said. “My sanity is shocking. I don’t spend time at home.

“I go to work and come back. It’s the destruction in between.

“As you can imagine, I upped my antidepressants, and that’s over the summer.

“The only cure for that is CCTV and they promised us this time, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

“It’s not a lot of people’s fault, but there are a few who ruin it for themselves.”

Tracey feels the area has been “forgotten” and says it’s easy to draw comparisons between her own street and tourist-focused streets like Coronation Street.

She said she feels sorry for those who stay in nearby AirBnBs and have to pass by.

“We’re being swept under the rug here,” she continued, “if you turn the corner you’ll come to Coronation Street, there’s a vacuum cleaner coming by.

“Near here, no. There is a dividing line between the tourism business and here. Don’t get me wrong, the council boys go above and beyond.”

Tracey said life in the area was like Catch 22. She continued: “Living around here is worse than being sent away for murder.

“Because I bought my house I’m trapped I paid for the house where do I go? If I had rented, I would have moved 20 years ago.

“But I’ve grafted enough to buy my own house, but you’re stuck in limbo. I don’t want another mortgage.”

Chris Malone works out of his family run garage on Ribble Road. He said both he and his team are faced with off-site garbage collection every Monday.

He said: “We’ve been in business here for about 54 years, we’ve seen it all come and go. Trash has gotten out of hand lately.

“I don’t blame the council one bit, I think they’re doing their part but they’re fighting a losing battle.

“A lot of people here and I know it’s difficult with seagulls and plastic bags, but customers come here and look down the back alley and say, isn’t that a mess?

“You say it every time. It’s not a reflection of us, but it’s a mess.”

Aside from the trash, Tracey fears the worst because of concerns that homes have bypassed her gas.

On one occasion, Tracey says, a nearby home was closed after the gas inside was tampered with.

Rebecca Fletcher runs A Stitch In Time and makes bridal wear on Central Drive.

The company has been operating from its location for 40 years.

Rebecca told LancsLive: “I wouldn’t move because we’re well established but there’s a divide because there’s no money, they let it go.

“They regenerate, so I think it’s going to come back. I’m here until 8 or 9 at night and sometimes I sew and there are groups of people standing in the street, you can’t even walk past them, I wouldn’t let my daughter walk past them.

Both Rebecca and Tracey claimed that High Street activity included drug dealing and personal hygiene.

Blackpool Council was contacted by LancashireLive for comment but did not provide any before the deadline.