Our UK seaside town has been compared to Barcelona with even better beaches…but we're fed up with gangs, riots & murders | The Sun

FUMING locals are outraged after their seaside town, once compared to Barcelona, has been plagued by gangs, riots and murders.

Homeowners in Swansea have branded their coastal resort a "s***hole" as the scourge of muggings and drugs wreak havoc in the community.

With growing tension between residents and those causing chaos, The Sun Online spoke with those who don't feel safe in their own town.

Amanda Oats, 63, claimed: "Swansea's a s…hole and has been for donkeys’ years.

"It all kicks off with the drinking on weekends and then you'll find all sorts of trouble.

"You won't find me going to the town centre, especially on my own – you never know what's going to happen.

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"You hear of people getting mugged and all sorts.

"I'm much happier up here sweeping the streets clean and believe me they need it!"

Meanwhile, Helen Jenkins, 50, alleged: "There is a lot of crime here in Swansea, especially violent crime.

"There are lots of muggings and even murders here regularly.

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"I work as a cleaner and you get to hear all sorts of stories and people being hurt and attacked.

"In fact I personally know some people who have been the victims of violent attacks and being mugged.

"When I'm out and about I make very sure to look out for myself and try to always be with company."

'A VERY DISAPPOINTING PLACE'

Additionally, parents in the area are living in fear their children will fall victim to crime.

Mum Sharon Court, 43, said: ”This place is a very disappointing place to come now.

"There are lots of empty shops and the place looks so run-down.

"I don't live here but I come over every month to see my daughter who has been to college here for a year now.

"I think she's safe, but I can't help worrying about her, but I think that the same in any big city now.

"There’s no doubt Swansea has a bad reputation.

"They were supposed to clean up the prostitutes around here, but it still goes on.

"It's the oldest profession in the world so I don't suppose it'll ever go away."

Another man was asked how he felt about the seaside town but was so drunk he only replied: "F*** off".

However, not everyone agreed and there were several locals who still took pride in their hometown.

Elderly couple Winston, 75, and his wife Pauline, 74, declared Swansea “the most beautiful city in the world”.

Winston said: "We've lived here all our lives and there is nowhere more beautiful than Swansea.

"My mum is still living around here too and she's 96 years old. Barcelona? They can keep it.

“We're perfectly safe up here where we live and you can see the sea from our house."

Meanwhile others have compared the "beautiful beaches and marina" to Barcelona.

Denise, 76, and her friend Barbara, 77, explained: “We both live in the Mumbles and we love coming for a walk down Marine Drive together.

"It's so invigorating to feel the wind on your face and look at the sea.

"This could be Barcelona with its beautiful beaches and marina, it's fabulous.

"When my son comes to stay he says he thinks it feels like being in Capri.

"It's certainly a very special place and we love it.

"The town centre has changed a lot in the time we've lived here and to be honest we don't really go there any more.

"We can get all we need living on the edge of Swansea and we can enjoy looking out to sea and watch the ships going by."

Another Swansea local Mark, 46, confessed while there was petty crime, it was not unlike any other city.

"We've always lived in Swansea and we love it here," said the retired window cleaner.

"There's always something naughty going on like noisy motorbikes and petty crime, but you get that in any city.

"We don't go into town much, I think that's where there are bigger problems, but I think they are trying to improve that now."

And, the owner of the nearby Penygraig general stores admitted he had been targeted by shoplifters in the past but things have settled down.

He said: "We've been here for five years now and when we first arrived there was a lot of shoplifting and the like we had to contend with.

"To be fair the police were pretty good and usually came up when we called them to an incident.

"But the best thing we've done is to install CCTV at both ends of our premises .. the shoplifting problem has been greatly improved by us doing that.

"We feel a lot safer now and if we do have trouble the police are still very good."

This comes as other UK seaside towns are being ruined by crime.

Locals in the coastal resort of Eastbourne in Sussex have hit out at the drug problem making their lives misery.

Official data earlier this year revealed the crime rate in the area is two per cent higher than the national average.

Elsewhere in the country, those living in Swanage, Dorset, say their idyllic village is also being destroyed by crime.

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Meanwhile, residents in Southend, Essex say they have been "terrorised" by a spate of burglaries.

A restaurant on the beach was allegedly broken into four times in one month.

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