Our pretty seaside town is a holiday destination but it has a dark side – we live in fear
A ONCE idyllic seaside town has descended into anarchy, with ‘people afraid to come out of their houses at night’ and ‘drug deals being made in open daylight.’
Furious residents in Pwllheli, Gwynedd, are demanding their council to clean up the streets – including the “numerous needles” near the village toilets.
Dylan Bullard, the local postie, has taken to social media in a desperate bid to see change in his once beautiful town.
He claimed in a post, as reported by NorthWalesLive: “When people are afraid to come out of their houses at night, it signals a real problem.
“We seem to have become a dumping ground for North Wales’ problems.”
The former councillor called for change as their area is considered a holiday destination and local businesses rely on tourists.
“They don’t want to see teenagers fighting in the street, drug deals being made in open daylight, roads closed off with armed response units,” he added.
His emotional speech, written on Facebook, garnered a lot of respect from fellow residents who were in agreement about the “filthy” and “dying”, “chav” town.
One issue at the heart of the problem is “untouchable” youths, according to fed-up locals.
“Walking around Pwllheli can be a disgusting experience. It stinks of weed every day,” replied one disheartened resident.
“Never any police presence and the dealers know it,” they continued, adding the area has earned itself an unfortunate “bad reputation”.
Several ashamed locals pointed the finger to disrespectful teens, while others blamed the lack of services for young families in the area.
Another core problem, in the opinion of frustrated homeowners, is the relocation of people who have “problems with drugs and alcohol” into Pwllheli.
Dylan claimed: “People are coming here from all over North Wales.
“They have various problems, with drugs and alcohol, and they are causing mayhem.”
This was echoed by another nearby resident who claimed to find “numerous needles” in the village.
They don’t want to see teenagers fighting in the street, drug deals being made in open daylight, roads closed off with armed response units.”
Dylan Bullard
They added that, to their knowledge, Cyngor Gwynedd Council are letting properties to people from outside the area when locals can’t afford them.
In addition, boy racers are the source of many residents’ anger as they use the “streets as a race track” through all hours of the night.
But, not everyone shares the same opinion as these fed-up homeowners.
Some people are impressed to see the new library, and the town hall that also underwent a huge transformation.
The community have also banded together and raised a whopping £60,000 deposit to potentially buy, and save, the Grade II listed Tower Hotel.
Keith Brymer Jones, star of Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down, even welcomed positive attention to the area last year when he purchased Capel Salem, a disused 19th Century chapel.
And the idea to create an alcohol-free zone at Pwllheli’s new bus stop has been suggested by local Cllr Underwood.
But even Cllr Underwood feels they need more support from Cyngor Gwynedd Council to motivate a successful community effort in cleaning up the streets.
Cyngor Gwynedd Council stressed it is dedicated to providing the town with regeneration and has an ongoing “vision” for the harbour area.
They have stated business grants will be accessible thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Welsh Government’s Arfor 2 programme.
However these promises do not fill locals like Dylan with much hope.
“We’ve been here before,” he claimed.
“We have so many problems. This week was the second or third time armed police have been on the streets in the last three or four years.
“You walk through the streets are night and it’s dangerous – when I was delivering campaign leaflets I often got threatened and verbally abused. Something needs to change.”
This comes as hundreds of towns across the UK are experiencing degeneration, including fed-up residents in Goldthorpe, Yorkshire.
The formerly vibrant high street has become a string of empty units masked by metal shutters.
Walking around Pwllheli can be a disgusting experience. It stinks of weed every day.”
Anonymous Pwllheli resident
And, the 7,000 people who live there are in no doubt about where the issue lies – blaming a new bypass and the lack of job opportunities driving the younger generation away.
Their story is similar to those living in Widnes, Cheshire, who say there are no decent shops on the high street anymore as inflations drives owners out.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Widnes has the lowest average wage for the entire area which means residents have no money to put back into the local economy.
In Northumberland, furious locals in Berwick-upon-Tweed, have hit back at their council for ignoring their needs – “If you want to know how to kill a town then look at Berwick.”
The once bustling market town now lies barren with most high street shops sitting empty.
Even the last remaining post office has been shut down, forcing residents to get the bus or drive to reach the closest one.