Inside UK's best seaside town - where tourists fear for their safety and locals think it's a 'dump'

One of the UK's most famous seaside towns has been branded a "filthy dump" by locals who say it is blighted with homelessness and crime. Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, was once voted the best coastal resort in the country. Its charms have captivated generations of visitors and its two sandy beaches are enjoyed by thousands of families each year.

But, like many traditional seaside resorts, it is struggling with a lack of investment, shops leaving the high street, rough sleeping and drug use. It was praised as one of the UK's top destinations by Time Out in 2023. But the town has since taken a bashing in scathing reviews on TripAdvisor.

They include "The place needs a good clean up," and "We last came here 15 years ago and it’s changed dramatically from a vibrant seaside town to nothing more than a ‘dump’." One said: "Just walking round the town, lots of empty shops, and what shops there are are pretty crummy charity shops, tattoo parlours, vape shops. Depressing stuff.

" Others pointed to a "general air of grubbiness" and warned other potential holidaymakers to "keep on driving" past. Locals have complained about the number of tents pitched around the town and rising crime. Civil servant Vic Harris, 70, told the Sun "There is a high level of violence, especially at weekends and there is also a real drug problem which you can see in the town centre and also recreational drug use at night.

" Last year, a massive discharge of sewage into the sea sparked fury. The untreated .