RESIDENTS have told how their high street has turned into “a dying shanty town” with “more pigeons than shoppers”.
Locals in Dudley, West Midlands say the area has been “completely decimated” after a slew of retailers shut up shop.
The market town was once a thriving hub, boasting a charming 12th century market, a castle and a zoo, attracting families and history buffs from across the UK.
But after a botched £150,000 market revamp, the town now ranks as the third worst place in the country to live.
The streets are now infested with pigeons, homelessness is rife, and as many as 40 stores are either derelict or boarded-up.
Alison Wade, who has run the Cards and Gifts 4 You shop in the town for the past 30 years, remembers the first time she visited Dudley as a teenager on work experience in 1984.
She said: “When I first came I thought ‘wow, this is lovely’, it was all stone, high-street shops, really, really nice. It was still a thriving town.
“It’s gone from being a nice town to getting dirtier and dirtier, and that is down to probably the council.
“Now, it’s like a shanty town.”
Local resident Harriet Manly, 39, a mum-of-one, added: “You walk around Dudley and there’s more pigeons than shoppers.
“It has become desolate in recent years. The place is dying and it’s really sad to see as the people of Dudley are amazing.
“The out of town Merry Hill shopping centre opening didn’t help back in the 80s – but this is the worst I have seen it.”
Chris Bradwick, 62, has run a stall at the town’s historic open-air market for the last five years.
He said: “I have watched as Dudley has slowly gone to nothing day-by-day.
“It hasn’t been helped by constant broken promises by the council. They closed and demolished the bus station, the tram system remains unfinished and there’s constant roadworks going on.
“OAPs can’t access the town centre which is just full of college kids and they aren’t going to support local businesses.
“They have cut off the accessibility of the town – it takes me 45 minutes to do a 10 minute journey home.”
The market area makeover was hailed by the authority’s deputy leader, Councillor Paul Bradley, as a “boost for business” which he hoped would become a “central hub and gathering point for visitors”.
It has become desolate in recent years. The place is dying and it’s really sad to see as the people of Dudley are amazing.
Harriet Manly, 39,
Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, assured locals that an appropriate team would be deployed to clean the streets.
“The seating area in Dudley Market Place was designed to provide a shared, welcoming space that encourages people to stay longer in the marketplace and supports traders,” he said.
“This usage tends to be seasonal and we see higher use in the warmer months and when there are activities in the town centre.
“We absolutely agree that this needs to be a clean, welcoming space and our cleansing teams will be jet-washing the area, while longer-term options to address the issue are actively being considered.
“We are also progressing a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for Dudley Town Centre, which would address issues of anti-social behaviour.
“If approved, the area would be patrolled by council street officers working alongside the police, with enforcement action taken where necessary.
“We are clear that improving cleanliness, safety and confidence in the market is essential to making it a welcoming place for traders, residents, and visitors.”
