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UK's 'grimmest' town caged in by three prisons as locals say 'lags are the lucky ones'
Residents of Featherstone in Staffordshire paint a dire picture of town life with a boarded-up pub, bins over-flowing with dog poo and 'people spewing everywhere'
A town overrun by drunks and druggies has been described as the “grimmest” in the UK by its own residents, thanks to its dog poo-strewn streets.
Featherstone in south Staffordshire is surrounded by three prisons but locals say the inmates are the lucky ones.
Alcoholics and drug-users collapsed on the street is a grim familiar sight and the village’s historic pub – the Red, White and Blue – has closed and remains boarded up with smashed windows and surrounded by security fences.
An abundance of rubbish covers pavements and blows into gardens, while many houses are in dire need of repair. A newly-built bus shelter was recently firebombed, while more and more potholes appear in the roads.
Shopworker Thomas Rowe, 30, said: “It’s a bit of a joke among the locals that the inmates in the prisons nearby are luckier than us. When they look out of their barred windows they probably feel quite sorry for us because our lives are worse than theirs.
“Featherstone is not just a dump, it’s dying. I think that’s why people are depressed because the majority of people here are decent. It’s just so sad to see the village turning into a druggie s**thole before your eyes when it always used to be a close-knit community.”
Life-long resident Dean Proffit, 62, said: “I often say that this would be a nice place to live if it wasn’t for the drunks and the smack heads. They are everywhere and it’s upsetting to see.
“I’ve lived here on and off for years and it’s certainly got worse. There’s rubbish everywhere and people spewing up everywhere. There’s no point telling the police because they won’t do anything about it.”
Rachel Canning, 51, blames the council for failing to keep the village clean. She said: “It doesn’t look as if the council come out enough to cut the grassed areas anymore, clean up the litter or empty the dog mess bins.
“The dog bins are full up and there is dog poo all over the village. I don’t know if they are people coming into the village or people who live here who have just given up.
“You’ll go into the next village Shareshill and it’s beautiful, it’s looked, it’s a shame ours isn’t. The state of our village is awful, there’s drug abuse, people picking up and selling drugs. It’s atrocious.
“I understand it happens everywhere but it’s really bad here. You’re frightened to walk your dog at night.
“We had our van stolen off our drive. There are constant break-ins and always people checking doors and car handles but the police are not interested.”
Daily Star Sunday
Residents of Featherstone in Staffordshire paint a dire picture of town life with a boarded-up pub, bins over-flowing with dog poo and 'people spewing everywhere'
A town overrun by drunks and druggies has been described as the “grimmest” in the UK by its own residents, thanks to its dog poo-strewn streets.
Featherstone in south Staffordshire is surrounded by three prisons but locals say the inmates are the lucky ones.
Alcoholics and drug-users collapsed on the street is a grim familiar sight and the village’s historic pub – the Red, White and Blue – has closed and remains boarded up with smashed windows and surrounded by security fences.
An abundance of rubbish covers pavements and blows into gardens, while many houses are in dire need of repair. A newly-built bus shelter was recently firebombed, while more and more potholes appear in the roads.
Shopworker Thomas Rowe, 30, said: “It’s a bit of a joke among the locals that the inmates in the prisons nearby are luckier than us. When they look out of their barred windows they probably feel quite sorry for us because our lives are worse than theirs.
“Featherstone is not just a dump, it’s dying. I think that’s why people are depressed because the majority of people here are decent. It’s just so sad to see the village turning into a druggie s**thole before your eyes when it always used to be a close-knit community.”
Life-long resident Dean Proffit, 62, said: “I often say that this would be a nice place to live if it wasn’t for the drunks and the smack heads. They are everywhere and it’s upsetting to see.
“I’ve lived here on and off for years and it’s certainly got worse. There’s rubbish everywhere and people spewing up everywhere. There’s no point telling the police because they won’t do anything about it.”
Rachel Canning, 51, blames the council for failing to keep the village clean. She said: “It doesn’t look as if the council come out enough to cut the grassed areas anymore, clean up the litter or empty the dog mess bins.
“The dog bins are full up and there is dog poo all over the village. I don’t know if they are people coming into the village or people who live here who have just given up.
“You’ll go into the next village Shareshill and it’s beautiful, it’s looked, it’s a shame ours isn’t. The state of our village is awful, there’s drug abuse, people picking up and selling drugs. It’s atrocious.
“I understand it happens everywhere but it’s really bad here. You’re frightened to walk your dog at night.
“We had our van stolen off our drive. There are constant break-ins and always people checking doors and car handles but the police are not interested.”
Daily Star Sunday