14 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE Inside the high street so bad locals call it 'St Awful': How Cornwall's biggest town has a problem with drugs, homelessness and empty shops
It was once the global capital of the China Clay industry, bringing enormous wealth, jobs and pride to the area, but St Austell is now gripped by poverty and drug abuse.
The town's reputation has become so bad that locals have cruelly dubbed it 'St Awful' and this week told MailOnline they now fear to walk down the high street.
Signs of drug abuse were everywhere, a sharps bin installed in a town centre car park was overflowing with hypodermic needles.
Youtuber JoeFish recently found dozens of drug addicts passed out in the town centre in the middle of the day.
Morley Cummings, 59, who slept rough in the town for 10 years before getting his own place, told MailOnline: 'It's worse now than I've ever seen it.
'When I was homeless there wasn't much of a problem with drugs but now there's so much more. It's not just the amount of people using drugs, the drugs they are taking are much worse too.
'I feel intimidated when I come into town, I have been robbed a lot of times, so much so that I now carry a panic alarm.
'I know of people in St Austell who have a house but are still out on the streets begging because it's easier than getting a job.
'Just putting more money into rebuilding the town centre isn't helping, so many shops are closing down and staying empty for years.'
During our visit we found 26 empty shops within the tiny town centre - some were clearly abandoned years ago with mould inside, weeds growing around entrances and windows boarded up.
It comes despite tens of millions of pounds being spent on regenerating the town centre in recent decades.
Outside the White River Place shopping centre - built in 2009 at a cost of £75million - hairdresser Rachel Ford, 51, admitted she rarely visits the town centre any more.
She said: 'I rarely come into town, there are almost no shops open, it's just depressing.
'There are drunks and addicts everywhere which creates an intimidating and scary atmosphere.
'There is just so much homelessness and rough sleeping it makes respectable people not want to be around it.
'This town could be so good, they have spent a lot of money here but it hasn't worked.
'I would like the authorities to get a grip on it, we never see the police and I wouldn't want my kids to go out drinking in town in the evening - it's just not safe.'
Despite locals claiming the streets are blighted with drug users, police figures suggest it is the seventh worse crime in the area with 83 incidents reported in the last 12 months.
Census data shows as well as being Cornwall's largest town, St Austell is its second most deprived. Cornwall itself remains one of the most deprived regions of the UK.
The contrast with its south coast neighbour Fowey could not be more stark. The picturesque fishing former village - once home to comedian Dawn French - sits around five miles to the east but is a mecca for second home owners and is consistently ranked among the country's most expensive seaside towns.
Peter Seddon, 74, who has lived in St Austell almost 50 years said he had only seen things change for the worst.
He added: 'This high street is in a worse state than it was under Thatcher, there is no wealth generation any more.
'A lot of people have tried to set up businesses in the town but they have lost their shirt before they've even opened.
'Look at this whole parade of shops, there is nothing you would want to go to. Can you build a town on just nail bars?
'Drugs are a massive problem here, we see that every day. A lot of problem people have been moved here from elsewhere and as a result middle class people do not want to come into town.
'I feel really sorry for people who come here.'
Steven Runham, 73, who lived in the town for 40 years said he was horrified by how much the town has declined.
He said: 'It used to be a really nice little town but like lots of others it's just failed.
'They have tried to regenerate it a lot but it never quite works.
'It's ok when the sun shines and the tourists are down but the rest of the time there's nothing to bring people here.
'What we have ended up with is somewhere that used to be really nice to come to but now you only come if you have to.'
In 2023, a new £58million regeneration scheme was unveiled by St Austell Town Council which would include building rooftop gardens, more student accommodation and demolishing large parts of the town centre.
Organisers had hoped to secure funding from Cornwall Council and the Government by 2024.
At the time Sandra Heyward, chair of the regeneration partnership, said she believed the projects were 'viable'.
She said: 'This plan is definitely not an off-the-peg, one-size-fits-all plan which has happened so many times in the past.
'It has been well thought out and is the result of hours of consultation with the public, stakeholders, Town Council and Cornwall Council and is ready for activation.'
