Families residing in Britain’s worst city for high quality of life say it is like residing in a ‘real-life episode of Shameless’

Families living in Britain’s worst town for quality of life have said it’s like living in a ‘real-life Shameless episode’. 

Walsall, in the West Midlands, was ranked the most deprived place in the UK in the Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index 2025.

Locals said it is ‘like living in a war-zone’, with many too scared to leave their homes at night.

Some also claimed the homeless earn more money than them by begging outside Wetherspoons. 

Feral youths, gang violence and drug addicts are said to have made the streets no-go zones, even in the daytime, while one suburb is known to be home to ‘Britain’s roughest estate’. 

Photos show how the town has descended into a ‘slum’ – with empty shopping units, boarded up houses and fly-tipped rubbish strewn across roads. 

Residents said the town, which used to boast major retailers and independent stores, has steadily declined over the past 20 years due to factors including rising unemployment and lack of investment.

Resident Daniel Briars, 40, said: ‘I know a lad who runs a market stall and some days he takes home less than £100. I’ve spoken to homeless people who earn more than that by begging outside Spoons.’  

He added: ‘This town used to be buzzing. Every shop unit was taken in the 90s and people used to come for the nightlife here over Birmingham believe it or not.

‘Day or night it was thriving, and now look around – it’s vape shops, charity shops or empty shops.’

One resident who lives on the infamous Blakenall estate – previously dubbed Britain’s roughest – said Walsall deserved the moniker as the worst place in the country.

He said: ‘It does serve the rating, it’s horrible. I’ve been here 40 years; it used to be okay but now it’s gone so much downhill.

‘It’s rubbish and drugs which are the issue. 

‘The fire engines are here a couple of times a week as the kids keep setting stuff alight.

‘It’s scandalous, no wonder no one wants to live here. This is worse than Shameless, it’s honestly terrible here.’

Walsall was also named the second least healthy high street and third worst job market in the country, according to the study.

The Good Cities Index is based on a city’s economy, and states the town struggled more than anywhere else for growth in the past year.

The list is based on 12 different categories including job availability, skill level of the working population and housing affordability.

One market trader, who would only give his name as David, added: ‘I was born in Walsall and it’s gone downhill.

‘It’s in a state, full of drinkers and beggars.

‘A lot of people have stopped coming, especially old people, they get frightened to come to the town.

‘People here don’t want to work, they get their payments and just pinch from the shops.

‘When I was a kid it was very good, it was fantastic. It’s all gone now, all the industry.

‘If you go to any of the suburbs you get run-down areas that the council doesn’t care about. Caldmore is terrible, it’s always bad.

‘Some days it’s like a fighting ring at the fountain. The council don’t turn it on as people would probably just drown in it.’

Walsall resident Alan Sharrat, 79, who is a retired retail worker, said: ‘It used to be a fantastic thriving town, but now there’s more empty shops than being used. It’s a shame.

‘When I was at school in the 50s it was a thriving area. There was a market in the town centre and you could buy anything you wanted to.

‘I had relatives from Wales who would come and spend hundreds of pounds, it was that good.

‘It started getting worse 25 years ago. I think unemployment is the main driving force.

‘I don’t know what the town centre is like of a night time, I wouldn’t dream of going into it with all the risks.

‘The whole area needs a lot of money spending on it. The shopping centre was stunning when it first opened 40 years ago.

‘If there are any jobs around here, they aren’t paying them enough to get out of bed. There’s no incentive for them here.’

High street shopper Sam said she is moving to Poland to escape the area after claiming she felt unsafe on the streets.

She said: ‘I live and was born in Walsall and 20 or 30 years ago it was much different, the area was thriving.

‘Since the mass immigration came in it’s been going down. I’m an Asian woman, and I’m not racist, but a lot of people have come here and aren’t working.

‘I only come into town for what I need, I don’t feel safe living here.

‘As a kid I used to walk into town alone. But now my husband doesn’t want me heading out alone.

‘Then there’s all the stabbings – 30 years ago you hadn’t heard of a stabbing. Now it happens all the time.

‘I tend to do all my shopping online, run to collect it and then run home. My husband checks in on me, it’s that bad.’

Vanessa Terry, 64, has lived in Blakenall for more than 40 years and said she has seen the area go ‘from good to bad’. 

She added: ‘Our estate was ranked the worst one in England, which says something.

‘We’ve got good neighbours and we all try to help each other. When I moved here it was all OAPs, it was lovely and quiet.

‘You can live somewhat of a good life. But my family wouldn’t live around here.’

Community workers Andrew and Jayne, both 38, said a lack of amenities and violence in the area made the result unsurprising.

Andrew said: ‘You’re more likely to get caught up in knife crime here than 90 per cent of the UK.

‘There’s not as many amenities as other areas and has one of the highest council tax rises.

‘The ranking does not surprise me.’

Jayne said: ‘I go into schools and teach first aid.

‘What I found really grim is that we had Year 6s having anti-stabbing ambassadors to tackle knife crime.

‘These are kids who are nine or 10 years old. There’s some areas where you just don’t go.’

Jameel, 48, owner of Suits U men’s clothing shop, said he is worried about growing numbers of shoplifters affecting his business.

He said: ‘It’s poverty in the area that’s the problem. People drink and don’t work.

‘I’m scared in this stall as when we close up at night time, gangs hang around the front of the shop.

‘They try to rob and steal the things.’

But Mary Davis, 83, who moved to the area from Ireland as a teenager, said she is proud to live in Walsall.

She said: ‘I’ve never been mugged or had my purse stolen or anything.

‘My daughter was in Galway in a posh store in Ireland and had her bag stolen, so it’s hard to judge.

‘I can only speak for myself and we like it.

‘There are shops closing down, the ones I used to like going into back in my day. But there’s still shops I love going into.’

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council, said it was ‘time to change the conversation about Walsall’, and pointed towards several redevelopments happening. 

He added: ‘Too often, we hear people talking our borough down, but Walsall is on the rise.

‘The challenges we face are not unique but what sets us apart is the determination and ambition that’s driving our transformation and creating positive change.

‘We continue to work to raise Walsall’s profile regionally and nationally to secure much-needed investment.

‘Working with our partners across health, enforcement, education and skills we have laid out our We Are Walsall 2040 plan to help tackle these inequalities across the borough.

‘Transformative projects are already underway delivering much-needed infrastructure and opportunities.

‘These aren’t just plans; they’re happening now and Walsall’s future is bright.’