Deaths from drugs and alcohol, a term coined deaths of despair, have plagued the town which from 2019 to 2021 saw some 77 people die from these conditions putting it at the top of the national list
An infamous British seaside town has earned the undesirable title of having the lowest male life expectancy in the country. Glasgow has had the unfortunate accolade snatched off it from Blackpool, where men are expected to live to 73-years-old according to a new Office For National Statistics study.
Blackpool is a regular feature in these pages given the frequency of reports attesting to the tough conditions for people living there. Once a proud seaside town and the go-to-destination of the holidaying masses, recent decades have sent it on a bleak downward spiral. Deaths from drugs and alcohol, a term coined deaths of despair, have plagued the settlement. From 2019 to 2021 some 77 people are thought to have died from these conditions. Researchers of a recent study of deaths of despair (DoD) wrote: “At local authority level, the highest rate of DoD was in Blackpool,” where it accounts for around 83.6 out of every 100,000 deaths.
The presence of drugs is clearly in the public eyeline too. On a recent visit there by urban explorer Wendall, one person he stopped for a chat said: “It’s rough. There’s crackheads bagheads p********, stabbings, all kinds of mad s*** round here.”
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But things aren’t just tough for the locals – its modern take on tourism sounds a little deflating too. In June, social media influencer Zac Jones and his partner, Kseniya, went for a stay in town. They stopped for the night at The Norbreck Castle Hotel which has received a remarkable 4,000 ‘terrible’ reviews on Tripadvisor.
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During his visit, Zac said: “I mean, when you pay attention to detail, it’s a bit scabby. I dunno what a piece of Blu Tak’s doing just chilling in the rooms as well.
“Some of the paint’s coming off the wall,” he says as he flakes some away with his finger before pointing to what appears to be a dead bug saying: “what the f*** is that?”
Away from temporary accommodation, Blackpool has also been in the news for some grisly real estate news. Brits were left a gasp when a three bed house went onto the market for £12,000. On the face of things it’s a bargain, but some things really are just too good to be true.
That is certainly the case here, with proactive owners told they will have to deal with the birds infestation that had coated the property with poo. Images inside the house really were astonishing – the entire place was caked in the wild pigeons’ droppings.
The auction house admitted it needed a “complete refurbishment”.
It’s tough being a child there too. According to Dr Andy Knox, a GP, the population health lead for the area, children “get a terrible start in life, often through the care sector. They get really terrible dental care, so nutrition is really poor. They live in significant poverty: 70 to 80% live in the poorest fifth of the country”.
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