A seaside town that had previously been heralded as one of the most beautiful in the country has now been blasted as a “s***hole” by residents. Paignton in Devon was once referred to as the “English Riviera”.
However, its residents now reportedly live in fear of knife-wielding thugs, some of which are just nine or ten years old.
Urban explorer Wendall, who visited the town after seeing it described as being “overrun with feral knife-toting rooftop yobs as young as nine”, was told horror stories by locals. One said it was “f***ing dangerous” at night.
“You might get stabbed up by children,” they added. “They’ll stab you for no reason at all and they’re about 12.”
Another local, Salvation Army bandsman Melvyn said he’d seen the town go downhill over the course of his lifetime. “I’ve been here since 1963 which is 60 years,” he said. “I’m 80 years old… like everywhere in this country the deterioration is very noticeable now. Lack of maintenance… the council either haven’t got the money or they spend it in different ways.
“When I came here in ‘ 63 the gardens were kept absolutely pristine. There’s a lot of unease around, people are not as relaxed as they were,” he added. The parks are now seen as places that are best avoided come nightfall.
County lines gangs are also reportedly recruiting children in the area to use as drug couriers. Inspector Chris Lithgow from Devon and Cornwall Police told the Mirror that the force is “dealing with youths involved in violent offences through the youth justice system.”
Some gangs of young people were reported to have been aggressively confronting local shopkeepers, including throwing large stones and even shopping trolleys from the top floors of multi-storey car parks.
A spokesperson for Paignton Police said at the time: “Paignton Police have been receiving numerous reports of gangs of youths causing issues in around Paignton town centre and the sea front area.
“They are stealing, confronting shopkeepers and threatening business owners and acting in a general disorderly manner. We have also received reports of stones being thrown off the top level of the Victoria Car Park. If this lands on anyone below this could cause significant injury.”
