16 January 2024 , 10:37
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It was once dubbed 'Britain's coolest neighbourhood', but now the streets are covered in rubbish and residents fear leaving their homes after dark.
Digbeth is a district in Birmingham that was previously named one of the best places to live in the UK by The Sunday Times, and is known for its contemporary art, events and creative workshops. Channel 4's Joe Lycett's comedy chat show is filmed in the area and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is soon to open a studio.
While BBC's new £69.3million flagship HQ, called The Tea Factory, will also be built in Digbeth. But the trendy suburb has gone downhill amid the cost of living crisis, residents say, and the true reality of living in the area isn't quite as attractive as it's made out.
Some locals say the 'glitz and glamour' hides the reality of living in Digbeth (Anita Maric / SWNS)Shocking photographs taken this week show the streets lined with dumped rubbish, graffiti and a smashed-up car on the roadside. Residents have said the grim sight reminded them of post-apocalyptic scenes from Netflix's The Last of Us, and the area has become a hotspot for crime and fly-tipping.
One anonymous student, who lives in flats near the Custard Factory, said: "I heard all sorts of awesome things about Digbeth before I moved here. But it can be really moody. It doesn't feel safe going out at night sometimes, especially on weekends. It certainly has more than its fair share of crime. We've had stabbings and murders here, people use the streets as a dumping ground."
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They continued: "It can look cool in parts but turn a corner and you're looking at a bombsite. Hopefully the investment going into it can get it back up to the standards it was. But it appears after Covid, this all stalled. Even the BBC studios plans have been put back. It's like the cost of living crisis has stalled everything and the result is that Digbeth is no longer a trendy place to be - but a bit of a dump."
Little Barr Street in Birmingham is littered with piles of dumped rubbish and graffiti (Anita Maric / SWNS)Birmingham office worker Harvey Saunders, 20, added: "It's been like a building site while they've extended the tram from the city centre and that's still not finished. I think it has put people off coming to Digbeth as it's become pretty inaccessible. So the knock-on effect is that the place is becoming a bit neglected.
"There was a bit of glitz and glamour with all the celebrities in the area when Joe Lycett was filming his show here. But then you see these streets covered in rubbish and it looks like something from a zombie movie or The Last of Us. I know there's all these grand plans which might turn its fortunes around but right now the true reality is that it isn't really the cool area it's been made out to be."
Last year, promising footballer Ashley Day, 20, was stabbed to death with a Rambo knife at a flat party advertised on social media. And on Boxing Day the previous year, Cody Fisher, 23, died after being stabbed at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth. Harvey added: "The nightlife used to be amazing around here but it has started to attract the wrong sort of crowd.
But some locals are hopeful the area can be recovered and say it 'just needs rediscovering' (Anita Maric / SWNS)"It can be pretty rough. Even the Digbeth Dining Club moved out of the area to nearer the Jewellery Quarter. I hope it can recover though because there are still great shops and bars. The vibe has been great in the not-too-distant past. That scene just needs rediscovering and perhaps a bit more investment will help that."
Addressing the fly-tipping issue, Birmingham City Council said the authority would prosecute those found responsible for illegally dumping rubbish. Councillor Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "Those who dump waste on public or private land are environmental criminals, who are expecting others in our city to foot the bill for the disposal of their rubbish and unwanted items.
"There is no excuse for this anti-social behaviour, which shows no regard for the surroundings in which we all have to live and work - there are many legitimate ways to get rid of waste so there is simply no excuse. We investigate incidents and do not hesitate to take enforcement action or prosecute offenders, as demonstrated in the past by many high-profile cases."
Do you live in Digbeth? Get in touch and email [email protected].