UK's ‘worst seaside town' where drug gangs run rampant and locals ‘don't feel safe outside' set for massive revamp
THE UK's 'worst seaside town' where drug gangs run rampant and the locals 'don't feel safe outside' is now set for a huge revamp.
The Welsh resort town of Bangor was hit with the unfortunate title following a survey by the consumer champion Which? where it was described as being 'drab' and 'run down'.
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Bangor scored just 42 percent approval rating in the Which? survey with a lack of shopping highlighted.
It scored one-star ratings for food and drink, tourist attractions, and shopping.
For everything else, Bangor received just two stars.
However, it was praised as a good base for visiting the 'fabulous' scenery and coast of North Wales.
Nestled less than an hour away from Snowdonia national park, overlooking the Menai Strait, the North Wales city has been ravaged in recent years by rampant drug gangs and a high street battling to stay afloat.
The 700 people quizzed by Which? gave the town an approval rating of just 42 percent.
Nathan Griffiths, 25, a tyre technician, told The Sun last year: 'It's a s***hole. It's gone downhill massively for years. It's a dump in the city centre.
'I don't feel safe coming out here.'
Dewi Rees, 55, said: 'It's been declining for 20 years. It's a shame it has gone downhill.'
Dewi added: 'There's a lack of investment, the retail park is outside the town and tariffs on the properties are too high.
Inside UK's 'worst seaside town' where shuttered restaurants are turned into drug farms
But the high street is a mess, with boarded-up buildings and most national retailers long disappeared.
Since the pandemic, the shopping centre has incredibly been 80 per cent vacant as the high street struggles to get back on its feet.
The closure of Debenhams in 2021 sounded the death klaxon for the main shopping road.
Drug gangs have seized the vacant lots to brazenly run secret cannabis factories.
There have also been complaints of drug dealing in nearby Caernarfon Road, where many well-known high street names have relocated to new stores.
In 2024, two men were jailed for their role in running a cannabis farm, claiming they had been forced into the work after being brought over illegally.
The factory they were caught in was estimated to be worth £730,000, with Albanian nationals Fatjon Tarja, 32, and Indrit Balliu, 31, caught trying to escape out the back.
The property used to have a restaurant on the ground floor, but it had been turned into a four-story operation housing 700 cannabis plants and all the equipment needed to grow them.
Both men were jailed each for a year and eight months, with a ten-month minimum time served inside.
But now the town is having new life breathed into it with its main shopping centre – the Menai Centre – being put on the market.
The "shopping dream" precinct was developed in 2007 and cost £18.5million to build - but is listed for auction with a guide price of just £4.2million.
The centre once housed High Street fashion retailers such as Debenhams and H&M but they left during the pandemic and is now 80 percent vacant.
Among the shops left include a Greggs, The Original Factory Shop, and Hays Travel opening, as well as a cocktail bar.
History of Bangor
The city's name is Welsh for 'wattled enclosure', meaning it takes its name from the fenced area that originally surrounded the cathedral site.
In 973 the city became the site of peace talks between Iago, ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and Hywel who had usurped him.
The talks were facilitated by Edgar, King of England, who persuaded the warring kings to share ruling the realm.
Bangor remained a relatively small settlement until the beginning of the 18th century, when it was designated a postal town on the route to Ireland.
It then developed a shipbuilding industry and tourism via steamboats from Liverpool docks.
In 1826, the Menai Bridge was built, connecting the isle of Anglesey to the mainland physically for the first time.
By 1848, the city had a train station, allowing tourists to visit it more easily.
In 1893, the Garth Pier opened. It's the second-longest pier in Wales and is now Grade II listed.
During World War II, Bangor was used to rehouse parts of the BBC to avoid the blitz in London. The corporation still retains facilities in the city to this day.
A health centre is set to open in the former Debenhams store funded by the Welsh Government, which is hoped will attract footfall but that unit is not part of the sale.
The 130,000 sq ft building was bought by Bearmont Capital - run by Rob Lloyd - in 2023 and is listed for auction with property giant Savills in a two-stage bidding process.
Savills said: "The property is arranged over ground and one upper floor and arranged as 19 separate units. It comprises 64,321 sq ft of retail and leisure space.
"Tenants include JD Sport, Cafe Nero, Hays Travel, 3 mobile, Superdrug and Greggs amongst others.
"Each shop benefits from their own street frontage.
'The Shopping Centre has no communal atrium, thus minimising the common parts.
'To the rear is a service yard."
Savills say the current annual rents paid by tenants add up to £508,000.
Explaining the bidding process, they said: "In stage 1 potential purchasers will be invited to place bids via a set deadline.
'These offers will then be considered by the client and a best and final offers may be called.
"Should an offer meet the client's requirements a successful bidder will be selected and a sale will take place via an auction contract, which will be signed immediately along with receiving a 10 per cent deposit.
'The property will be deemed as 'sold prior to auction'.
"If no stand out bids are received or bids received are of a similar value then a reserve price will be set on the property and it will be sold via a live online auction (date to be determined subject to Stage 1 of the process)."
The stage one bids close on June 10.
After receiving the title, Bangor City Council said: "It's disappointing to see Bangor City named as one of the UK's worst seaside towns.
'Such rankings often fail to capture the full picture and the unique charms that make Bangor City so special."
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