Barking is one of the most miserable towns in the country (Image: Getty)
Residents in one of the country’s ” have slammed their council for turning the town into what they described a “shambles”.
Barking is a town in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham – the borough named the least happy place to live in the capital according to a survey by Rightmove, and residents in Barking town claim the council has made a lack of effort to improve the town.
Gillian Tillett told Express.co.uk: “The high street used to have good shops. It’s now just pound shops and takeaways. The station does not have escalators, and the lift only goes to one platform. [There is] no police presence in central Barking. The pavings are filthy, and [there are] too many beggars.”
Rightmove asked over 35,000 people in 220 locations in the UK about their sense of pride, safety and community.
The borough in East London came 218 nationally. It ranked 33rd out of 33 in Greater London, placing it behind areas such as Croydon and Brent, which are usually associated with high crime levels.
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Another resident who wished to remain anonymous, told Express.co.uk: “I feel like Barking and Dagenham is an unpleasant Borough to live in. There is rubbish everywhere on the streets, too much crime and gang violence, and as an autistic person, there isn’t any support for me or any neurodivergent folks in the borough.
“In some parts of Barking, it stinks to high heaven and is unpleasant. Elderly, homeless and poor people are just left to fend for themselves and the homeless beg outside the station and the Vicarage Fields shopping mall.”
It comes after Jennifer McKenna criticised the council for the issues in her neighbourhood.
She told : “This place is a shambles. The council isn’t doing anything to improve things, especially for teenagers. Once it starts getting dark, I don’t go out. People are drinking, and it’s not safe. I wouldn’t advise anyone to move here.”
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The borough has multiple housing developments happening (Image: Getty)
While has been synonymous with gentrification, the area in question is nothing like the trendy streets of Brick Lane. Those who live in Barking are faced with empty shops and a number of homeless camps.
The area is seeing new housing developments. However, those projects are pushing up rental prices, leaving those currently living in the town feeling like they are being pushed out of their own community.
Crime rates are also a concern among those who live in Barking. Last year’s overall crime rate in the borough was 122 crimes per 1,000 people – a rate 19% higher than the rest of London.
At the beginning of this year, it was reported that Barking and Dagenham had London’s worst crime rate for violence and sexual offences.
Barking and Dagenham Council have been contacted for a comment.