The UK's 'worst seaside town' where locals feel its soul has been ripped out

In Victorian times, grand seaside towns lined the coast around Britain, with pristine promenades, clean beaches, and no empty beer cans in sight. Fast-forward more than a century, and many of those once-thriving resorts have slowly but surely begun to deteriorate, with the once-grand facades being knocked down for budget hotels and flats. Communities that call it home are being stretched thin.

This is perhaps nowhere more prevalent than in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. In its heyday, Bognor was at the height of popularity for day trippers thanks to its location on the Sussex coast, surrounded by fantastic scenery. But in recent years, the town has seemingly deteriorated, culminating in a rating by Which? as the worst seaside town in the UK.

The survey, which compiled more than 1,000 people's thoughts on seaside resorts around the UK, left Bognor with the lowest rating of one star for its seafront, food and drink, tourist attractions, scenery, shopping, parking, peace and quiet and value for money.

Even being described as 'run down' and 'depressing', its overall score of just 36% gave it that perhaps unwanted crown.

But with all the negative attention, went to visit the resort to find out what locals thought and if it really was that bad.

Staying in one of the many iconic static caravan parks around the town, Wendall interviewed a whole range of people from local business owners to people just out for a stroll, but it's fair to say their mood was somewhat pessimistic.

Speaking to one man out shopping about Bognor's new title, he didn't seem overly surprised, putting it down to one thing. : "Well, I just think they've ripped the heart and soul out of Bognor over the years.

Asked who "they" were, he believed the council could have done more to keep the town alive and thriving.

He added: "They've demolished some beautiful old buildings and they've replaced them with retirement flats. The general feel of the place is that it is run down."

Chipping into the conversation, a man sat nearby agreed, adding: "Every other shop is a vape shop, but why is it a vape shop?"

A deep dive into Bognor's high street and you can see why some locals have had enough. A report by Sussex World found that a whole range of big high street buildings have remained closed for years on end.

The town's Barclays, which closed in August 2023, and Natwest, which closed the same year, both remain derelict. Whole other local shops, from a second-hand clothing shop to a Carphone Warehouse, have been closed for more than two years - lining the street like ghosts.

Only time will tell if the town that was once the favourite of kings and queens will return to its former glory, although Arun District does have plans to give the town a makeover with renovations to Bognor's Alexandra Theatre and Edwardian Arcade.

A spokesperson for Arun council added: "We also have a new hotel under construction, Butlins has invested heavily in the town, as has the University of Chichester. We have also had significant investment in new retail and employment businesses to the north of the town.

"Finally, Housing has also funded the Bognor Northern Relief Road, also known as the Bognor bypass, designed to alleviate traffic congestion in the Bognor Regis area."