We live in ‘worst’ seaside town ranked alongside North Korea – haters brand it a ‘pile of dirt’ but it’s NOT our fault
LOCALS who live in one of the “worst” seaside towns which was ranked alongside North Korea as a “pile of dirt” say it’s not their fault.
Skegness, on the Lincolnshire coast, is one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations as it welcomes some 4million visitors every year.
But according to the travel website Destination Tips it is amongst the top 10 worst places to visit in the world.
In a damning review in 2017, “Skeggy” was described as a “pile of dirt”.
It said: “Once thought of as a quaint seaside town in northern England, Skegness is now a pile of dirt bordering the North Sea with a run-down amusement park idly resting on the land."
The verdict drew outrage from the town with the mayor at the time, Dick Edginton, saying the ranking of Skegness was “absolutely offensive”.
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He said at the time: “There seems to be certain people who seem to do nothing but denigrate British seaside resorts.
“Skegness is one of the best resorts in the country with the highest visitor numbers.
“There are record levels of investment in the resort at the moment which shows confidence in business, both from local and national companies.
“How anyone can compare Skegness to North Korea - one of the most oppressive regimes - is absolutely offensive.
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“These comments should be held up to ridicule and contempt.”
Topping the list of worst places to visit was Kyiv in Ukraine, with Port-au-Prince in Haiti coming in second.
Damascus, Syria, was third.
In 2023, Keep Britain Tidy awarded Skegness a Blue Flag Award.
Councillor Richard Cunnington, Urban District Society for Skegness St Clements, said that year: “We have a tractor that goes out cleaning the beach.
"If the beach is messy then it shows the kind of people who keep coming here. It's not the locals dropping the rubbish and it makes our town look bad."
He added: "Skegness is one of the busiest resorts in the UK. If every person dropped a piece of litter then there would be thousands of it.
“We have groups and organisations that pick up litter but it's not all down to them.
Destination Tips' worst places to visit
• Kiev, Ukraine
• Port au Prince, Haiti
• Damascus, Syria
• Mogadishu, Somalia
• Pyongyang, North Korea
• Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
• Bogota, Colombia
• Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Skegness, Lincolnshire
• Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
"We need respect from the people who visit our town. There is no need to be dropping pieces of litter.
“I have even heard about nappies being buried in the sand."
Councillor Billy Brookes, Urban District Society for Skegness Scarborough & Seacroft, said: "Skegness beach is cleaned every morning.
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"We get used to Skegness being linked to these reports. I go on the beach almost every day and it's one of my favourite places to be.
“It's a resort that attracts thousands of people every year and litter is part and parcel and other resorts can only aspire to be like us."
