Fed up residents of the seaside town considered Britain’s worst say they have lost the battle against misbehaving drinkers, vomiting in the streets and fighting, as well as a rise in homelessness.
Skegness resident Rachel Barker has lived in a Lincolnshire seaside resort all her life, but says most of her older friends have moved away because of the town’s drunken reputation.
“I was born and raised here, but most of the older people I knew are gone,” he said.
Mrs Barker added: “There are a lot of homeless people now and a lot of drinkers.” They flock to the seafront from the caravan sites.
‘They behave really badly. They are sick everywhere.
Shortly before 11pm last night, a drunken street fight broke out between two men and a woman next to a park on Skegness seafront.
Sarah Benzid, 23, Daisy Mae, 20, and Grace Lexa, 20, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, partying in Skegness last night
Skeg Vegas: General view of the Oasis arcade in Skegness photographed last night
Homelessness has become a growing problem facing Skegness
Yesterday at 7pm on Skegness seafront, Sarah Benzid, 23, Daisy Mae, 20, and Grace Lexa, 20, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, were already partying, much to the chagrin of the crowd. Mrs. Barker.
Asked what brought her to the seaside town then, Sarah laughed and said: “I’d say the drinking, the nightlife and the fucking men.”
And he added: ‘There is also the beach and the chippies. I have no plans to go abroad. If you want a quick escape with your mates, come to Skegness.
Shaking a large jug of alcohol, he then staggered away through the prom and added: “We’ll go clubbing later.”
Shortly before 11:00 p.m. last night, a drunken street fight broke out between two men and a woman next to a park on the seafront. Then he continued towards the park and the people disappeared into the darkness.
Typical of the edgy American-style bars attracting younger drinkers to the seafront is The Hive, which has eight bars under one roof.
For mum Rosie, 40, enjoying her first girls’ night out in years, it was too much.
“We’ve been drinking since 3pm and they told us the place doesn’t operate until 10pm,” he said. “I was planning on being home in bed by then.”
Skegness resident Rachel Barker (pictured) has lived in a Lincolnshire seaside resort all her life, but says most of her older friends have moved away because of the town’s drunken reputation.
Sarah, Daisy and Grace spent a night of fun and booze in Skegness last night
What brought me to Skegness? ‘I’d say the drinking, the nightlife and the fucking men’
“We’re going clubbing later,” Sarah said with a large jug of alcohol in her hand.
There were queues along the seafront for cheap fast food and ‘Fox’s Famous Fish and Chips’ boasted of having the ‘lowest price in Skegness’.
For just £6.99 you get a big piece of haddock topped with enough mushy peas to turn the chips green.
But around the corner were homeless people settling in for the night in front of the closed shutters of a stone factory.
Dave Bond, 55, from West Yorkshire, shared a dinner of chips with his 12-year-old son Alfie and Staffordshire bull terrier Barney, who was struggling ahead in search of scraps, while Dave considered making himself another tattoo during your stay.
He said: ‘Skegness isn’t what you’d call picturesque but for £5.99 the fish and chips was really good.
‘It is not what you call a prosperous area. We used to go to Whitby but they always have some folk festival or the goths are there and the prices have gone up a lot.
Earlier in the day there were families on the boardwalk enjoying donuts, cotton candy and of course more fish and chips.
The coastal atmosphere was enough to persuade Nessa Cox, 52, to move with her family from Peterborough ten years ago.
Scenes from a fight that broke out on the streets of Skegness last night
Men sitting outside the closed Factory Rock store in Skegness yesterday
Young people drink on the balcony of a bar in Skegness last night as they bring in the weekend
It is believed there were homeless people on the streets of Skegness last night
Last night a fight in Skegness took to the streets.
Police responded to the scene of the fight that began around 11 p.m.
She said: ‘It’s okay. It’s great to see families having fun and the crowds coming to town.
‘You’ll get your stag and hen parties, but they’re also here to have a good time. There is plenty for kids to do and plenty to eat.
‘There are plenty of places to drink, everything a holiday spot needs. We just got cod, chips and beans twice for 11, pretty good prices. You can get good deals.
As the shadows lengthened, families with young children began to leave, with stuffed animals won from the many arcades along the Golden Mile.
The running kids began to gather in the parking lots. Street drinkers could be seen lurking in shelters next to the park. Young people could be seen drinking from open bottles behind the park’s bars.
Last year, 300 asylum seekers were housed in hotels in Skegness, sparking controversy and tensions in the area. But from April of this year only one hotel in the city should be used for this purpose, the bbc reported.
Closed shops on Skegness recreational beach, photographed yesterday
The Great British Rock Shop and Chips on Parade chippy in Skegness
Buildings heavily graffitied and in poor condition in Skegness
Dave Bond, 55, from West Yorkshire, shared a dinner of chips with his 12-year-old son Alfie, while Barney, a Staffordshire bull terrier, struggled ahead in search of scraps while Dave considered making himself another tattoo during your stay.
The coastal vibe was enough to persuade Nessa Cox (pictured), 52, to move with her family from Peterborough ten years ago.
A couple relaxes on camping chairs on Skegness beach yesterday afternoon in the sunshine
A couple takes a walk along Skegness seafront yesterday.
Hoteliers in Skegness received more than £10,000 a week to close their doors to tourists and house migrants. “Owners who have accepted Home Office money tend not to live in the area,” Ross Richardson, events director at the Savoy hotel, which rejected the offer, said in March last year.
Tensions rose in July after an asylum seeker living in one of the hotels was accused of raping a woman just six weeks after arriving in the UK on a small boat packed with 60 migrants. The Egyptian national was found not guilty of the charge in court in December last year.
After the man was charged, hotels reported bookings were being cancelled, and deputy mayor Adrian Findley said at the time that the city was being treated as a “dumping ground for asylum seekers”.