What life is really like in one of UK's 'worst' towns cruelly dubbed 'Costa del Dole'

Residents living in one of the UK's "worst" seaside towns have pinpointed the catalyst for its ultimate downfall - but insist it is a good place to be. 

Rhyl, in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, scored poorly in the Telegraph's latest Seaside Gentrification Index, where they looked at 20 classic resorts to see how they've adapted, or not, over the past three decades.

Taking into account the quality of their high streets, renovations, and “cultural clout” - Rhyl was summed up as having: “no past, no arts, entertainment, and no fun”.

Pictures show the area looking eerily quiet, with beachside shops boarded up. But people who live, work and holiday in Rhyl have hit back at claims it's a town with no future. 

Patricia Williams, who was born in Rhyl in 1953 told Express.co.uk: “I have lived here all my life, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, growing up here was great, especially when I got to the age when I could go out clubbing in the 70s."

'Holidaymakers deserted us' 

She said the 1970s was a great era for the town, with the beaches packed out in summer and the town becoming a hit with families from England and Scotland. 

But Ms Williams identified what she feels was the area's downfall - and it was the boom of bargain breaks abroad.

She added: “The cheap holidays abroad happened and Rhyl took a nosedive. We were left with huge B&B properties with no one to fill them. 

“Many of the property owners started renting them out as bedsits, and that’s when the problems started, there was an influx of people coming in, the accommodation was even getting advertised inside prisons, that’s when the drugs and deprivation took over, especially in the East end of Rhyl where the majority of boarding houses were."

But, is it all doom and gloom for Rhyl? Ms Williams thinks not - she added: "Rhyl has now turned a corner, the majority of the bedsit properties in the east end have now been demolished, with lovely family homes replacing them, and the area is unrecognisable.

"The town centre will be having a facelift when they open the newly built, multi-million pound food hall on the site of the old Queens market that has been demolished.

“In my opinion, there is always something to do in Rhyl and I am proud to call it my home town.”

The once-thriving town has also been described by outsiders as “Blackpool after a neutron bomb”. But before its demise, Rhyl was often noted as a quiet alternative to the more famous Blackpool and was seen as an affordable getaway for families.

Another resident, Alun Lloyd, claimed the town faced issues with previous councilors, adding that the new councilors are making more positive steps. 

He said: “In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s a number of local councillors made a number of bad decisions for the town.

"The repercussions lasted for years. Luckily, the new council are very much more forward thinking and their efforts are beginning to show.

The Rhyl of the future

He added: “Rhyl has a beautiful long sandy beach and the improvements to the promenade make it a pleasure to walk along."

Detailing the positive steps that have been made, he said: "From the Pont Y Ddraig bridge in the west, the eastward walk encompasses the new SC2 indoor water park, the new Pavilion Theatre incorporating the 1891 restaurant and the fabulous Kite Surf bar make it a very pleasurable walk."

He noted the Marine Lake is still popular with visitors, and the town's "fabulous" river walk from Rhyl to Rhuddlan still draws people in.

“The best thing about Rhyl is the community spirit amongst the locals," Mr Lloyd said. 

A holidaymaker who has been visiting Rhyl with family for many years called it a “second home.”

Cheryl Knowes, 53, from Birmingham said: “I class it as my second home as I know it like the back of my hand. 

"I take my children to Rhyl most years and we always find something to do.

"The good points about Rhyl now, are the harbour area, the lovely bridge, and there's a bike hire and cafe. However I do agree that Denbigh council needs to make more improvements to Rhyl to make the place more appealing for kids.”