UK’s ‘slobbiest town’ is a ‘sh**hole’ where ‘only form of exercise is drinking’
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Residents of a Kent town named the 'slobbiest' place in Britain have admitted it's a 's***hole' where the only form of exercise is drinking.
Nestled along the murky River Medway in Kent, Chatham has a poorer reputation than its idyllic location would suggest.
Already known as 'home of the chavs', this year financial experts at Forbes Advisor also crowned it the 'slobbiest place in the UK' stating it was the 'worst location in the UK for exercise lovers.'
READ MORE: Town dubbed 'home of the chavs' now also crowned 'slobbiest place in Britain'
Meanwhile over on the infamous resident review site iLiveHere, it has been labelled the 'dog s*** splattered patio of the Garden of England' .
In a fiery criticism of the town, one local says: "I’ve lived in Chatham all my life, because I’m a moron.
"Fortunately I’ve escaped to Chatham’s outer boundary, but the town centre’s foetid stench still wafts over my hovel when the wind direction is unkind.
"Chatham’s High Street has become its putrid nadir. Most chain shops have gone. Waterstones remains for irony's sake. The High Street inhabitants linger and pulsate, staggering along grease-stained streets in search of some sort of score."
So all things considered, it's not exactly Belgravia, but is it actually the hell on earth many make it out to be?
We sent our reporter down to the Medway town to find out the truth.
As I drove into Chatham I was very nearly involved in a road accident – a good start.
The lights were green and as I approached the crossing a strange man wearing a stained vest stepped into the road and lurched towards my car, much to the shock of the pedestrians on the other side of the road.
As I swerved and avoided the man I heard him mouth something unintelligible.
Like many UK towns, Chatham's High Street has suffered in recent years and is home to many boarded-up shops.
There were however a few gyms speckled about, which suggests not everyone here is afraid of a treadmill.
Even though the High Street has fallen on hard times, it is still a hub of activity with mothers rushing about, old people sitting in cafes and people drinking and smoking on the streets.
I spoke to an elderly couple enjoying a cup of coffee in a cafe.
Malcolm and his wife Leigh live in nearby Gillingham and are visiting for the day, although they told me they weren't proud of it.
Malcolm said: "I don’t like it.
"Its reputation? Well s*** to put it mildly. We don’t like to come down here often, in fact, my wife Leigh hates coming down here.
"You can’t list the problems here, they’re everywhere. The ugly buildings, the people, the drinking, the drugs."
Hardly a glowing recommendation, but I persisted and asked them if they'd seen anyone exercising.
Malcolm replied: "The only exercise they do round here is raising a can to their lips."
Moving away I met a charming Nigerian man named Femi who had just moved to the area.
Armed with a camera, he told me he was going to spend the day photographing the 'beautiful town'.
He did however say there were some places he wouldn't go.
He explained: "I only moved here last month and no, I don’t exercise.
"I have heard it’s a very rough place. A lot of people are drinking, I have seen some shady places and dodgy dealings, I keep safe and avoid it."
Unwilling to put myself between a street drinker and his can, I decided to venture to the only place open that was serving alcohol – Wetherspoons.
As I queued for my Pepsi Max, it became clear that the most popular choice of breakfast in the venue was a Full English with a pint of San Miguel.
In the garden as I sat sipping, I was stared down by three men drinking Carling.
The drunkest of the three yelled: "Ginger? You, why are you drinking that instead of a proper drink?"
It was 10:43am exactly.
Ducking the question, I eavesdropped with great interest on the group's conversation and learnt that one of them knew someone who had been on the Jeremy Kyle Show to settle a dispute over a lawnmower.
Whether or not this is true, I'll never know, as truth be told he seemed worse for wear already.
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On the next table two tradesmen who preferred to stay anonymous provided more pleasant company.
I asked them if it was true that nobody in Chatham exercises.
One said: "Nah that's b***cks, there are loads of gym's here."
The other said: "It is a s***hole though."
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