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RUN DOWN TOWN
Our town is known as Vegas of the North but people openly smoke heroin as kids roam the streets in threadbare clothes
The town is scarred by high unemployment, huge drink and drugs problems
THOSE living in the UK's most impoverished town have told how children roam with bare feet and junkies hover on street corners.
Blackpool in Lancashire has been named the country's most deprived city, according to government figures.
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And locals say the situation has only been getting worse.
They have told of seeing junkies openly smoking heroin and crack cocaine on the streets.
Others complained they regularly see children walking around in threadbare clothes and bare feet.
Tenants are dealing with rats and mould in flats in the tourist mecca as more and more residents rely on foodbanks.
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Roofer Joseph Underwood, 52, said: "The poverty and conditions are simply shocking.
"I have a friend who lives in an area with rats and mould.
"And you see crack and heroin being openly smoked in the streets. It's incredible.
"Some areas of the town are so bad, it's like Beirut."
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Unemployed Joe Morris, 36, said: "I've seen kids in bare feet walking the streets. It's shocking.
"There is a lot of poverty here."
Blackpool, known as the Las Vegas of the North, was also recently named as the unhealthiest place to live in England for the fifth year in a row.
Cheap booze and takeaways are all too common a sight in the town which is scarred by high unemployment, huge drink and drugs problems as well as bad diet.
Retired security guard John Gould, 73, said: "It's definitely got worse over the years.
"Some of the poverty is shocking with more people having to go to food banks over the years.
"They have ploughed a lot of money into the town but the people seem to be getting worse off.";
Behind the resort's glitzy Golden Mile and Blackpool Tower are drug dens in terraced houses where Brits live in poor conditions.
Dad-of-one Karl Jenkinson, 23, said: "The area we live in isn't great and it is a struggle getting by even though I work.
"We pay £850-a-month for a flat that has mould. I worry for my daughter's health."
Mum-of-two Danielle Caton, 39, said: "I'm not surprised Blackpool is the most impoverished.
"There is a lot of drug and drink problems and people just don't get the help they need.
"It is shocking. You see kids going to school in worn and dirty clothes.
"Families are struggling and go to food banks."
Mum-of-four Michaela Howard, 30, said: "It is a struggle to get by here. I'm scared for my children."
A Blackpool Council spokesperson said: "As a local authority, we are wholly committed to improving the quality of life of our town’s residents, as well as continuing to attract the millions of visitors who come to Blackpool every year because they love it so much.
“Whilst Blackpool is so well known for fun and happy times, like many other seaside towns it is faced with both economic and health challenges including high levels of deprivation, dependency and social need and we are doing much to tackle these issues head on.
“Working proactively alongside our colleagues in the NHS, as well as other partners we provide a number of health and welfare schemes to try and ensure that families, children and individuals get the help and advice that they need.
“At the same time we also need to look to the future. So we along with partners are investing heavily in Blackpool in a diverse range of development projects to drive economic regeneration, create new jobs to help our communities, and deliver an improved environment for residents and visitors alike.”
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It comes after locals in Britain's most isolated town told how they have two graveyards - but no shops.
And tourists have made a seaside town's parking one of the UK's most expensive, with the council accused of "just cashing in".
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