Popular UK seaside town becoming 'rat infested, rubbish-filled and tatty'
A seaside town which starred in a hit ITV drama has been "forgotten" and left to fall into ruin, locals have complained.
West Bay in Dorset was thrust into the spotlight back in 2013 as the location of detective drama Broadchurch, playing host to Olivia Colman and David Tennant. The success of the show led to a surge in popularity for the town among tourists, who came in throngs to soak up its charm.
Six years after the cameras crewed packed up following the final episodes, West Bay has fallen on tough times. It is battling a rat and seagull problem as well as a crumbling harbour wall, The Sun reported. Locals and visitors alike are also struggling with high parking prices and blocked drains.
Local businessman Simon Myles, who takes visitors out to see on boats from the harbour in the town, has raised the issue of the lack of bins, claiming it has contributed to the town becoming "tired and tatty".
The two actors helped put West Bay on the map (PA)Tourists taking pity on seagulls by tossing them chips has become a real issue, the boatman claimed, as it encourages the birds to target people for more food.
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“They’re scavengers by nature so if the bins are overflowing it’s easy pickings for them. The people who empty them to a good job, but often than not, they’re still overflowing because there just aren’t enough of them," Simon said, arguing that the town had become "forgotten".
Other locals also pointed out that early evening rubbish collections mean that seagulls can get into the bins, ripping them and then attracting rats. Meanwhile a collapsing harbour wall and closed toilets have caused accessibility issues.
Meanwhile, following a large rockfall in July, tourists have been known to ignore warning signs urging people to stay away from the cliffs due to a risk of 'injury or death'. One local shopkeeper said that he worries "someone is going to get killed and then they’ll close the beach off completely".
Locals have complained of issues in the town (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)A Dorset Council spokesperson said that they usually provide more bins during the summer, but that the harbour wall works had delayed two of those being installed.
"We’ve also installed two additional litter bins in response to complaints about high volumes of litter. We will continue to review the situation, but any changes introduced will have to be affordable and consider the visual impact of further litter bins," the spokesperson said.
When asked if there were plans to install recycling bins, they continued: "Recent trials have shown that material collected in West Bay recycling bins contained high levels of contamination and deemed unsuitable by our contractor."
Work is due to start on the harbour wall in late autumn or early winter, they added.
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