29 January 2024 , 20:09
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A picturesque seaside town traditionally popular with tourists now faces some of the worst rates of drug crime in the UK, new data shows.
Aberystwyth’s rate of drug use is the highest among any coastal resort in the UK, the figures illustrate. More than 100 drug crimes have taken place in the Aberystwyth area in the past 12 months, despite its population not even exceeding 15,000.
But it was once dubbed the "best" place to live in Wales by its residents, who praised its seaside location, rich history and culture linking north Wales and south Wales, and scenic landscape. However, the university town has been slammed in recent reviews by tourists on TripAdvisor. One wrote: "It is full of drug people and is the most vile bar I've ever been in."
Another damning review says: "Just avoid unless you are a degenerate." One woman, who visited a bar in the town, posted online: "Got told off for singing Happy Birthday when at least 10 people were snorting cocaine."
Aberystwyth on the Welsh coast is home to around 15,000 people (Getty Images)Eight people were arrested in the vicinity as part of a police effort to eliminate an organised crime group "running multiple drugs lines in the area," Daily Express reports. As part of this operation, police seized a "significant amount of cocaine," council reports claim.
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And in October 2022, a staggering amount of cocaine washed up on a beach near Aberystwyth. It was discovered by the local who spotted 30 black bags tied to buoyancy aides. Police at the time warned passers-by not to touch anything they found.
The stats come after a neighbourhood in tourist hotspot Bournemouth, Dorset, was branded the "drug capital of the south". Children in the Boscombe area of Bournemouth reportedly avoid sitting on benches used by dealers.
Residents claimed it’s not unusual to see drug deals in broad daylight, and youngsters even know to avoid plonking themselves in certain seats or walking near a specific church.
A retired couple, demanding a change, said they often see queues of people trying to buy opioids snaking the streets. They added: "There's drug abuse and social deprivation and then you come across these beautiful houses not far away that nobody is living in and they're locked up for winter because they are holiday lets. Our neighbour smokes hash all day every day, it permeates the walls. Even in the street, you don't have to walk far and you can smell it. Lots of people seem to be doing it out in the open in the street."