Residents in Basildon weren’t surprised to learn that it was named as one of the ‘saddest’ places to live in the UK (Image: Phil Harris)
Just 30 minutes from London, you would think should be a thriving commuter town. Instead, it has been named one of the , a town where drug use is rampant, crime is perceived to be rising and apathy has set in. As I arrive at Basildon station, the first thing I see is a man forcing his way through the ticket barriers without paying. A station worker makes a half-hearted attempt to stop him before simply shrugging and giving up, an eerie reflection perhaps of the town’s defeated spirit.
As I step out into the town centre I am greeted by a bleak skyline of brutalist architecture, grey concrete blocks looming over a high street dominated by vape shops, pawn shops and boarded-up shop fronts. The big-name stores that anchor so many towns are nowhere to be seen, with charity shops and discount retailers dominant.
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Retired bus driver Anthony Stevens says he won’t leave his house after 5pm (Image: Phil Harris)
On a nearby bench, a group of men in hoodies pass around a spliff in broad daylight, their laughter carrying through the empty streets. A woman hurries past them, gripping her handbag a little tighter.
Basildon was once a symbol of post-war ambition, a New Town built in the 1940s to provide fresh opportunities for families leaving London. But, decades later, optimism has faded, leaving behind a town struggling with its identity.
Retired bus driver Anthony Stevens, 75, shakes his head when asked about the state of the town. “The big-name stores are gone. Back in the day, people used to come here for a night out, now, the town is dead by 5pm The streets are quiet, and if trouble comes your way, there’s no one around to help.”
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Wendy Sutherland has been commuting into Basildon for work for over 30 years (Image: Phil Harris)
Wendy Sutherland, 65, has been working in Basildon for over 30 years and still commutes from London. “It’s horrible now. There are so many homeless people, and they’re not getting the help they need,” she says, pointing towards a man screaming in the town centre. “This is just the norm now.”
The Essex town has relatively affordable house prices for this part of Britain, with an average home costing £334,569 but this offers little solace to those I speak to.
Safety is a constant concern. Cheryl James, 40, a mother of three, refuses to let her kids out alone, even when they turn 15. “There’s a gang culture now, and shows like Top Boy glorify that lifestyle. The kids look up to it.”
Alina Gavrilov and her son, Oliver, are new residents to Basildon (Image: Phil Harris)
Even public transport feels lawless. Liana Pereverzeva, 46, who moved to Basildon from , recalls a disturbing incident on a bus. “I saw someone light a joint right there. The driver didn’t do anything. The police don’t care either – they just turn a blind eye.”
Eugene, 50, is sitting with his mother in the town square. He shakes his head in frustration. “You can smell it, weed. All the time. No one cares.”
The lack of a police presence many say is fuelling problems. “I don’t see officers walking around anymore,” says one shop owner, who prefers to remain anonymous. “If something kicks off, you’re on your own.”
Long-time resident Jane Goodman, 76, laments how much Basildon has changed. “The buildings are eyesores, and kids are always doing wheelies in the street, it just puts people off coming here.”
Liana Pereverzeva moved to Basildon three years ago from Ukraine (Image: Phil Harris)
For Alina Gavrilov, who moved to the town from Barking, Basildon does feel a little safer than where she lived before. But that’s not the same as saying it’s a good place to live. “There are more families here, but the town itself? There’s just… nothing.”
Despite its prime location just over half an hour by train from London’s Fenchurch Street station and affordable homes, Basildon continues to struggle.
In 2024, Basildon was named the saddest place to live in the East of England, ranking dead last in Rightmove’s Happy at Home study. Nationally, it placed 206th out of 210 towns.
The district commander for Basildon, Chief Inspector Daniel McHugh, responded to some of the complaints residents made with regards to policing.
He said: “My officers are working to make Basildon safer every day – we know the majority of people in our district see that and see the results. Basildon-based officers secured nearly 1,400 charges in 2024 as they worked to ensure justice for victims of crime.
“They did that while bringing the number of crimes reported down over the same period, with nearly 1,500 fewer crimes than in 2023. That’s fewer violent crimes, domestic incidents, burglaries and sexual offences in our community. Those same officers also attended more than 18,000 incidents in 2024, more than half of those being emergencies.
“I am grateful for the public’s support in that work – 79 percent of people in Basildon say they think we do a good or excellent job, but we are not complacent and we continue to work on bringing the number of crimes in Basildon down.”
He added: “We have a strong visible presence across Basildon, and we are bolstering our local officer numbers forcewide which residents in the district will see the benefit of.
“And we also know how important it is that everyone feels safe in our towns – our officers take a zero-tolerance approach to offending and anti-social behaviour. We deal with that offending effectively, proportionally and as robustly as possible.”
Daily Express approached Basildon Borough Council for comment but none was offered.