Locals hit back at claims seaside town is 'worst in the UK' saying 'it’s lies'
Residents of a town branded one of the most dangerous seaside spots in the UK have said their home’s bad reputation is undeserved.
The small town of Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppy has a high crime rate compared with similar areas but locals say the community spirit makes it a good place to live.
"Most people think the Isle of Sheppy is a prison colony — but it's far worse than that," Tiktok poster Phil Carr said in his video about the town. He also branded the town "probably the most dangerous place in the whole of the south east". But locals have hit back, saying that the town is neither dangerous or a prison colony, but a snapshot of an older time when community spirit was at the forefront of British life.
Statistically, it is the second most dangerous small town in Kent, and among the top 10 most dangerous out of all of the country's 331 towns, villages, and cities. Last year alone, Sheerness recorded an overall rate of 181 crimes per 1,000 people — an average total of 2,353 crimes for the town's 13,000 people. And so it is often voted as one of the UK's worst such seaside towns, the Express reports.
Despite this, and despite Carr's assertions, the people of Sheerness said that the town isn't dangerous but more a snapshot of a long-lost Britain where community spirit reigns supreme. "I'm Sheerness born and bred, and I've never seen anything untoward in this town," said Alice, who works at the local funeral directors. "I would never move off the island because it's still massively centred on community. You can always open your door and see someone you know, someone you can talk to, familiar faces."
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While Alice admitted there were "pockets of places that may not be as nice as others" she insisted that it's the same everywhere in Britain. "We don't have any trouble here or on the island at all," she added. However Sheerness is one of England's most deprived areas, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). On the indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) scale - which measures income, employment, education and health alongside 33 other metrics - the centre of Sheerness scores 77.9 out of 100.
Despite this the town has its charm, residents maintain. The accessable seafront close to the town centre is a boon as is the pebble beach that runs as far as the eye can see along the coastline. "We get lots of people who come down from London to visit," said Helen, who works at the popular Island Fish Bar on Sheerness High Street. The town itself isn't bad, it used to be busier, but it's nice. People get along, you'll never go out without saying hello to someone or bumping into someone you know."
But what about the crime figures, those statistics paint a grim picture but is that reflected in locals experiences? "I mean, sometimes you see something happening," she said. "You see people arguing, or something's happened, or someone's running after someone. But I've never come across anything bad happening to someone."
Ifuru, a worker at the Royal Hotel Sheerness, reported much the same. Originally from Sri Lanka, he moved to the town just eight months ago but said he hadn't seen anything to suggest it was like a prison colony. "We get a lot of people coming into the pub: plumbers, builders, doctors, shop workers, roofers. All different social classes walk through those doors, and I speak to all kinds of people, but none of them are bad," he said. "It's a very calm and quiet place, a nice countryside town. In the eight months I've been here I've noticed that everyone knows everyone, everyone gets along."
Retirees have flocked to the town to spend their golden years next to the sea, Sheerness is just one and a half hours from London by train, making it a perfect spot for those looking to escape the capital. Its residents consistently described it as a quiet, sleepy place, where not a lot happens. Martin, who works in the local plumbing shop, and has lived in the town for 30 years, was succinct in his assessment of his long-time home. "It's basically a large village like anywhere else: this man who said it's a prison colony, he's obviously not from here."
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