Inside the UK's 'worst town' as locals claim 'there's nowhere worse in the world'

Jimmy Hughes says Aldershot utilized to beryllium truthful overmuch amended (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Bitterly cold, grey and devoid of the hustle and bustle you would usually subordinate with a municipality successful the midst of its greeting throng, this is Aldershot successful Rushmoor which has conscionable been named arsenic the worst spot to unrecorded successful Britain. 

The Hampshire territory was fixed the rubric nary country of the UK wants aft investigation by the Sunday Times. 

The stark decision was based connected a scope of factors including section transgression – successful Aldershot, it is astir 50% higher than the remainder of the South East – Ofsted schoolhouse ratings that successful this lawsuit amusement 2 section schools are inadequate and 1 requires improvement, and NHS waiting times that are presently immoderate of the worst successful the country.

Basildon successful Essex and Dudley successful the West Midlands were besides slated successful the survey. 

It’s not hard to spot their effects arsenic you get in Rushmoor’s main municipality of Aldershot. A gloomy soundlessness hangs implicit the precocious thoroughfare with lone a tiny radical of people, chiefly pensioners, huddled unneurotic chatting to interruption the silence. 

By comparison, the London borough of Richmond, is reportedly the champion spot successful Britain. Great schools, 80% GP restitution and the lowest transgression complaint successful London, Richmond has it all, albeit with an mean location terms of £748,000.

The 2 places are a scant 30 miles from 1 another, but contiguous Aldershot seems similar a antithetic satellite from Richmond’s buzzing precocious street. 

Outside 1 of the fast-depleting businesses inactive open, Jenny’s Cafe and Restaurant, we conscionable 80-year-old George, a retired builder and gardener.

“It’s truthful tally down,” helium sighs. George has lived successful Ash, close adjacent to the municipality that has proudly called itself location to the British Army for much than a century, for 70 years. 

Next to the cafe is simply a vacant portion of onshore which utilized to beryllium occupied by The Galleries buying centre. It was demolished arsenic portion of a task to physique flats but for present leaves a gaping spread successful the once-bustling municipality centre. With operation imminent, information barriers fell the barren landscape. 

“How tin you demolish a gathering that’s stood for 20 years conscionable to physique different successful its place?” George asks. “It’s wealth wasted.”

June Hood says she is fed up of seeing 'down and outs' successful the municipality centre drinking intoxicant (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Wrapped successful a purple overgarment to shield her from the cold, section June Hood, 80, echoes George’s lament astatine the demise of the area. “It’s dreadful,” she says.

The retired chef, who lives successful neighbouring Ash Vale, reminisces astir the municipality successful decades gone by. She says: “I miss it truthful much. Marks & Spencer and Woolworths. There utilized to beryllium Army people. The soldiers would ever look smart. Now there’s nothing. They’re each down and out. People beryllium successful the doorways with fried chickenhearted boxes and cans of beer.” 

Established successful 1854, erstwhile the past War Department bought a ample country of onshore adjacent what was past a tiny colony of Aldershot, it has agelong been seen arsenic the location of the British Army.

While adjacent Aldershot Garrison remains arsenic engaged arsenic ever, it’s unclear whether soldiers are present avoiding the municipality due to the fact that of its evident decline, are little disposable due to the fact that of information concerns, oregon if their societal routines person changed successful caller years.

That aside, the statement amongst the radical is that much shops are needed. 

A 70-year-old person of George's, who has lived successful Aldershot since 1972, does not privation to beryllium named, but simply demands: “Get immoderate shops successful here.”

He describes Wellington Shopping Centre crossed the roadworthy arsenic “empty”, and points to the caller closure of the town's Wilko arsenic grounds of the area’s sub-standard amenities. 

“You can’t bargain the essentials that you request present anymore,” helium adds. “There’s nary footwear store here; that’s gone.”

Rushmoor has been named arsenic the worst spot to unrecorded successful the UK (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Before imploring our newsman not to enactment arsenic we portion ways, George mentions the authorities of section roads.

He says: “I rhythm sometimes. I’m frightened to travel retired astatine night. If you don’t cognize wherever the holes [in the roads] are, you could termination yourself.”

As we locomotion on Union Street, a antheral and woman, who diminution to springiness their names, person their say. “It is the worst place,” the pistillate agrees. “We were going to the foundation store the different day, and determination was this bloke extracurricular selling drugs. This has got to beryllium the worst spot connected Earth. Where are the constabulary to woody with each these cause dealers?” 

The antheral points retired that the municipality has a large constabulary station, but claims you “never see” a constabulary officer. The section hospital, Frimley Park, however, the pistillate cannot fault, describing it arsenic “brilliant”. 

Although they assertion it is quicker to conscionable telephone 111 alternatively than effort and get a GP assignment astatine the section surgery. Two surgeries successful the country are presently rated arsenic requiring betterment by the Care Quality Commission – the aforesaid miserable verdict besides bestowed upon 3 attraction homes successful the area.

However, determination is immoderate flight from the doom and gloom and the brace – who person lived successful Aldershot for much than 30 years – accidental the section theatre is simply a existent positive point.

But, erstwhile asked astir the area’s diversity, the antheral adds: “Because it’s multinational... you can’t speech to people. There is nary assemblage with each the assorted nationalities that are moving here.” 

He besides mentions the improvement of pupil lodging astatine the extremity of the street. 

“They’ve astir apt spent millions gathering accommodation for students astatine a assemblage successful the adjacent county, and yet we’ve got stateless radical successful Aldershot.”

New lodging is appearing successful the centre of Aldershot (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Jimmy Hughes, 75, is passing by and joins successful the speech portion carrying a blistery portion from McDonald’s. He has lived successful the country since 1962.

Pointing retired assorted parts of the street, helium explains: “That was a pub, that was a pub. It was truthful afloat of soldiers. Aldershot, it was similar Clapham Junction. You look astatine it now, and it’s each gone. There were 2 butchers’ shops present – I took my archetypal occupation successful 1 erstwhile I near school. I utilized to spot each the scooters travel down present successful the 1960s. When I spot Aldershot now, it’s wholly changed.”

As good arsenic a Dewhurst butchers', determination besides utilized to beryllium a subdivision of Burton tailors'. 

Anuj Grurng is 1 of galore Nepalese immigrants successful Aldershot (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Working successful the Little Asia household goods store connected Victoria Road is Anuj Grurng. 

The 33-year-old moved to the UK six years agone from Nepal. He says: “For the past 5 years now, the Nepalese assemblage has increased. It’s benignant of similar a stronghold. Immigrants similar america travel each the mode from our country, it’s precise casual for each the Nepalese to travel into 1 place. It benignant of acts similar a magnet.”

He past compares the Hampshire town, which is location to Gurkhas serving successful the British Army, to Southall successful London, wherever galore radical from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan live.

Mr Grurng, who is primitively from the Gorkha region, says that it has go easier for radical to determination to Aldershot from Nepal arsenic property limits connected the members of a soldiers’ extended household who tin articulation them person precocious go much lenient.

Consequently, of precocious much Nepalese shops had opened, and determination are present 17 oregon 18 restaurants specialising successful the country’s cuisine. 

Seven retired of 10 of Mr Grurng’s relatives successful the UK unrecorded adjacent to oregon successful Aldershot.

It’s a “very good” spot to live, helium says. This is particularly the lawsuit for older radical because, if they unrecorded extracurricular Aldershot, they person a “language barrier”. Mr Grurng adds that helium often gets radical coming into his store to inquire for assistance with British paperwork oregon arranging GP appointments.

Peter Nicholls, a retired plumber, says determination are worse places successful the UK to unrecorded (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Some locals disagree with the caller mediocre ranking successful the Sunday Times survey. 

When Peter Nicholls, 85, a retired plumber who was calved successful adjacent Farnham, was told that Rushmoor had been rated arsenic the worst spot to telephone location successful the country, helium says: “You indispensable beryllium joking. There’s places worse than this; a batch worse.

"The worst thing, I think, is that it wants tidying up. The council’s slack. It wants cleaning and tidying up successful general.”

Hannah, 38, a plot manager, is walking her babe down Victoria Road successful a pushchair. She describes the municipality arsenic “humble” and adds: “I emotion it here.

“Everyone’s truly friendly, and it’s got everything you need.” On the area’s ranking, she adds: “That’s terrible. That’s sad.”

She past mentions section swimming facilities, and says she has “not had immoderate trouble” arsenic regards NHS waiting times. On section crime, she says that she tin recognize that it “might beryllium a thing”, but she has “never experienced immoderate issues” successful Aldershot.

Aldershot is known arsenic the location of the British Army (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

The Labour MP for Aldershot, Alex Baker, is determined to support the district's reputation. 

She says: “Rushmoor is my location and those of america who unrecorded present cognize amended than anyone what a fantastic assemblage this is. We person challenges to face, peculiarly aft excessively galore years of being taken for granted nether the Conservative government, and that is wherefore I stood for election, to marque beingness amended wherever I americium raising my family. 

“Our towns person made an immense publication to our nationalist endeavour and arsenic the location of the British Army and birthplace of aviation, we person a batch to outcry about.”

Rushmoor Borough Council person Cllr Gareth Williams agrees.

He says: “We didn't recognise specified a antagonistic presumption of our towns. Both Aldershot and [neighbouring] Farnborough person galore large things to celebrate, with beardown planetary concern successful Farnborough, the location of British aviation, and Aldershot benefiting from its bequest of subject past and a monolithic consciousness of community.

Alex Baker is the MP for Aldershot (Image: Getty)

“We are arrogant of the mode successful which radical person welcomed caller communities to our towns and of the contributions that they make.

“Like immoderate busy, municipality country we cognize that section nationalist services, similar the police, schools, roads, and wellness services tin beryllium nether pressure.

“That’s wherefore erstwhile we took implicit the medication of the assembly past year, we made a steadfast committedness to our residents to enactment with them to amended our towns and communities, and we are delivering that done the improvement of our strategical priorities that volition bring astir semipermanent change.”