Britain’s 10 worst seaside resorts ranked, and ‘UK’s Las Vegas’ tops grot list

With temperatures soaring – and climate scientists predicting more scorching heatwaves in the future – a family holiday at a British seaside resort seems like an increasingly good idea.

But not all of our coastal resorts are created equal. A poll for consumer magazine Which? has identified the ten worst seaside destinations in the United Kingdom.

With complaints about run-down amusement arcades, basic B&Bs, and the ever-present feral seagulls, the 3,000 people surveyed listed the beaches they’re least likely to visit.

READ MORE: Inside the UK seaside town where boarded up homes sell for as little as 20k

The Lincolnshire town of Skegness, made world famous by the 1908 “Jolly Fisherman” poster, came off worst – with Clacton-on-Sea in Essex coming a close second.

“Skeggy” had its heyday in the years running up to the Second World War. The town was home to the first ever Butlins holiday camp, which opened its doors in 1936.

It fell out of favour around the 1970s and 80s, as the package holiday boom took hold, but it came back into its own as long-term economic decline started to dent Brit holidaymakers' budgets.

One local business owner in Skegness, Lincolnshire, spent £36,000 to welcome visitors with a replica of the Las Vegas sign that reads: "Welcome to Fabulous Skeg Vegas, not in Nevada."

• 

  Britain's 'Barbados' seaside resort 'covered in poo' and terrorised by 'hooligan' seagulls

But modern holidaymakers are a lot harder to please than their ancestors.

A one-star review of Skegness beach on TripAdvisor slammed it as the "filthiest beach" the reviewer had ever seen.

"Everybody was complaining about it. Lovely sandy beach spoilt by all the rubbish people leave behind on it. Absolutely covered with discarded plastic bottles, half eaten trays of food, even towels and shoes," it read.

"Same with the streets in the town. Wherever you look it is covered with litter."

• 

  Inside 'Britain's grimmest suburb' turned into 'rat's paradise' by fly-tippers

Another one-star review took aim at the clientele of Skegness beach.

It read: "We were close to this hole on holiday and decided to visit for the day, we wish we hadn't bothered. Most were minging horrible cannabis-smoking cretins. We hated the whole place and ended up staying less than an hour."

A third one-star review described venturing to the seaside town as "like entering the Twilight zone". It stated that, although the "beach appears to be clean", the town itself "had a cheap nasty run down feel".

• 

  UK's 'dump' seaside town locals think should be 'torn down and rebuilt from scratch'

It continued: "Everywhere was dirty, shops sold a mix of ice cream and slush with shots.

"Let's get the parents pissed and it won't look so bad perhaps?

"Everything looked like it was probably in need of renewing 20 years ago but disguised under cheap food, thumping music and plastic seating."

• 

  Holidaymaker hit by 'total scam' parking fine vows never to return to seaside town

But not everyone was so unimpressed.

One TripAdvisor reviewer who visited the town in October last year rated Skegness five stars. They wrote: "It is an amazing place, everywhere is so clean and tidy. You can walk for miles and enjoy this wonderful place. To me it's like a proper English seaside."

Another reviewer said their party enjoyed Skegness so much "that we spent three days in a row at the beach".

A third five-star reviewer had clearly read other reviews before visiting, but was pleasantly surprised.

They said: "Wasn't sure what to expect at Skegness but knew it was quite a typical British seaside resort with kiss me quick / candy floss / funfair etc.

"We were surprised that it all looked quite tidy and not run down like some other seaside places."

• 

  Brits blast Butlin's as 'devastated' kids can't enjoy activities without pre-booking

The full list of the worst seaside destinations in the UK reads:

1. Skegness, Lincolnshire
2. Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
3. Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset
4. Bangor, County Down, NI
5. Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
6. Bognor Regis, Sussex
7. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
8. Colwyn Bay, Conwy, Wales
9. Southend-on-Sea, Essex
10. Morecambe, Lancashire

• 

  Top 50 'worst' places to live in UK unveiled – did your town make the list?

On a more positive note, Which? also listed the best seaside towns, with the chart topped by a relatively undiscovered gem:

1. Bamburgh, Northumberland
2. Dartmouth, Devon
3. Portstewart, County Londonderry/Derry NI
4. Portmeirion, Gwynedd, Wales
5. St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
6. Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear
7. Southwold, Suffolk
8. Aldeburgh, Suffolk
9. St David's, Pembrokeshire
10. Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: "Few countries can be home to such a diversity of brilliant seaside breaks.

"Whether you want world-class beaches and utter wilderness, or the bright lights and bucket and spade atmosphere of a resort, the UK has a seaside break made for you.

"What our survey shows is that it's rarely the most famous destinations that visitors enjoy most. Try somewhere new this year and our survey shows you should find fewer crowds and better value."

To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.

Source: Read Full Article