A BOROUGH once at the heart of the Industrial Revolution has now been branded Britain’s “Beirut” because it’s become so blighted by crime.
Residents of Tameside – an area to the east of Manchester stretching to the Peak District – say parks are filled with druggies shooting up and seeing your GP is nigh on impossible.
Tameside in Manchester has been branded Britain’s ‘Beirut’[/caption]
Tameside police bust cannabis farm and make 10 arrests[/caption]
Officers make an arrest in Tameside[/caption]
Data compiled by The Sunday Times used local crime rates, Ofsted school reports and GP waiting times to rank the top areas in Britain.
Other factors included the number of listed buildings, parks and community assets like sports clubs.
Tameside came eighth bottom, 284th place out of 291.
It has a population of around 230,000 and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylsden and Stalybridge.
Hairdresser Dawn Murphy has lived in the town of Duckinfield for 15 years and is particularly concerned about crime.
She said: “I went away to Barbados recently and when I got back I heard there had been a stabbing in the next street.
“The crime levels are shocking and all the kids seem to be carrying knives – it’s scary.”
She’s christened one part of the town “Beirut” because it’s become so blighted by crime.
She said: “The problem is there’s not much for kids to do. And the parks are full of gangs of youths.”
Casey Rushholme, 32, lives in Droylsden with her three-year-old son George while her mum Diane, 63, is from nearby Audenshaw.
Diane said: “A lot of shops have shut down. And most of the parks are just neglected.
“The one near me is full of druggies and there’s needles all over the place.
“And there’s a lot of anti-social behaviour due to kids messing around on the trams.
“Droylsden used to be a nice place to go but I’ve seen its decline.”
Members of gang, some from Tameside that stole up to 100 luxury cars worth about £3m[/caption]
Police raid the gang’s warehouses and found stripped car parts[/caption]
Droylsden locals David and Lynn Woolley said the town centre used to be ‘buzzing’[/caption]
Casey says there’s not much to do for families with young kids.
She said: “We go to a farm in Ashton but it’s quite expensive. But apart from that, there’s not much else.”
She added that during a recent visit to Tameside Hospital, her dad had to wait 12 hours in a corridor after suffering a chest infection and pneumonia.
She said: “We were told there was an overflow. So he had to wait on a bed in the corridor.
“But the care he eventually got was great and he was there for eight days.”
Tameside also performed poorly in two of the three NHS measures used in the study.
It ranked 266 for waiting times and treatment targets, but was 106 for satisfaction with GPs.
David and Lynn Wooley have lived in Droylsden for 53 years and say the town centre used to be buzzing.
But the loss of its market, shop closures and the lure of Manchester city centre has made it less popular.
The top ten worst places to live in Britain
- Rushmoor
- Basildon
- Dudley
- Castle Point
- Boston
- Fenland
- Central Bedfordshire
- Tameside
- Mansfield
- East Lindsey
Lynn, 73, said: “The market was beautiful. And a lot of nice shops have gone too.
“There’s bars and clubs, but not many other places to go.”
David, 74, said: “The tram system is good and it’s great if you want to get to Ashton or Manchester.
“But the downside is it also makes it easier for shoppers to shop in Manchester instead of here.”
The couple say that getting a GP appointment is “terrible” and David recently had to wait three weeks just to have a blood test.
Lynn added: “The whole area needs improving. There’s supposed to be a plan for Droylsden town centre but it seems to have stalled.”
£2millon has been spent to revamp the market in Hyde but with many traders gone the square now feels empty and deserted.
Locals complained the shopping centre Droylsden and Ashton Under Lyne has gone downhill[/caption]
Dawn Murphy aged 53, said the crime levels are ‘shocking’[/caption]
Grandma Diane Rusholme, 63, mum Casey Rusholme and her three-year-old son George said there aren’t many family activities to do[/caption]
Tameside Council reportedly wants to plough another £737,000 into regenerating Hyde Market.
Bar worker Summer Hilton, 24, said she’d moved back to Droylsden after living in Luxembourg.
“It’s a bit of a contrast between the richest country in the world and here,” she admitted.
“It does look a bit run down. But there’s a lovely sense of community even if you look around and see fewer shops.
“The waiting times to see a GP are poor though.
“You’re told to ring up at 8am but by the time you get through to somebody all the appointments have gone.
“Personally, I’ve never had any issue with crime but there’s crime everywhere.”
Peter Monday, 65, who also lives in Droylsden, said he believes “the quality of living isn’t bad” compared to some areas.
But he bemoans the lack of basic facilities such as public toilets.
He says most GP appointments are by telephone and that a valve operation on his heart was cancelled six times before it went ahead.
“I don’t think there’s much to do for kids and families,” he said.
“There’s no youth clubs or youth centres and no nice places for families to go really.”
The top ten best places to live in Britain
- Richmond
- Cheltenham
- Stroud
- Merton
- Ribble Valley
- Fylde
- The Cotswolds
- Sutton
- Chorley
- Bath and North East Somerset
But not all residents think Tameside is a bad place to live.
The borough has an abundance of green spaces including Werneth Low in Hyde.
Tameside is also well connected with the Metrolink system and the M60 and M67 just on the doorstep for motorists.
The area has plenty of famous faces such as Sir Geoff Hurst, Mick Hucknall, Kathy Staff, Howard Donald and Ricky Hatton.
And there are many popular attractions – a free museum, a huge Ikea and a number of different teams playing in the lower leagues of the English pyramid.
Digital illustrator Kieran Cramer, 21, lives in Mossley, a town in the foothills of the Pennines.
He said: “I like living there. For me, it’s OK. Although I can be a bit hard to get anywhere else.
“The gym I used to go to closed and it’s not very easy to get to another one by public transport.”
Young mum Hazel Green, 21, says she “loves” living in Carrbrook, which is near to Mossley.
“I used to live in Oldham and Carrbrook is much better,” she said.
“My daughter is three and there’s always lots of things to do with her. The quality of life is good and there’s very little crime.”
According to official statistics, there are 26 parks and 37 playgrounds in the borough, 12 leisure centres, eight libraries, two museums and one art gallery.
66.9 per cent of children at the Early Years Foundation Stage are achieving a Good level of development, compared to 71.80 per cent national average.
The borough’s percentage of residents with no academic qualifications is higher than the England percentage at 18.1 per cent.
The Sun has reached out to Tameside Council for a comment.
Digital illustrator Kieran Cramer, 21, said he doesn’t mind it[/caption]
Young mum Hazel Green, 21, says she ‘loves’ where she lives[/caption]
Locals have complained many shops in Tameside have shut down[/caption]
£2millon has been spent to revamp the market in Hyde[/caption]
Peter Monday, 65, had a valve operation on his heart cancelled six times before it went ahead[/caption]
Summer Hilton, 24, said there is ‘crime everywhere’[/caption]
Richmond was ranked the best place to live in Britain[/caption]
Cheltenham is also considered one of the best places to live in the UK, particularly in the South West region[/caption]
