It’s a town that enjoyed an extraordinary tourism boom during the Victorian era as workers from industrial towns flocked in to enjoy a well-earned day at the seaside.
But Blackpool has suffered deeply in recent decades ever since holidaymakers began swapping the Lancashire coast for cheap package holidays in Europe in the 1960s.
And its issues worsened this week after bosses at one of its most historic attractions, the Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park, confirmed they are being forced to close some rides this year and cut staff numbers after posting a £2.7million pre-tax loss.
The venue, which has operated on the seafront since 1896, said in its new accounts that it had been struggling with visitor numbers not recovering after the pandemic. Other rides will open later and close earlier this year as it attempts to reduce costs.
The park then moved to reassure thrillseekers, saying the measures were part of a strategic review, the site will in fact be open for more days this year compared to 2024 and no more rides would shut in addition to the five announced last month.
But the business – like many others the hospitality and entertainment industries in the UK – is also bracing for staffing costs to soar next month due to the increase in national insurance contributions (NICs) for employers and the minimum wage rise.
Pleasure Beach has benefited from overall tourist numbers in Blackpool rising after the pandemic, with footfall up in each month of last summer against the year before – and visitors across the whole of 2023 increasing by 1.2million compared to 2022.
But the town suffers from being ranked as one of the UK’s most deprived areas with boarded-up shopfronts a common sight on streets – and fast food outlets aplenty.
Blackpool has the UK’s lowest male average life expectancy at 73.1 years, which is 18 months lower than in 2019 and six years less than the average for the rest of England.
And it also has England’s worst mortality rate, highest proportion of children in care and biggest proportion of workforce economically inactive because of sickness.
Phil Whiting, on holiday in Blackpool with his wife, Lydia, and son, Reuben, four, said: ‘I’ve been coming to Blackpool since I was a child and used to go to the Pleasure Beach, it was free admission. I think it’s £50 a ticket if you pay on the day which would put me off’
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the major attractions in the Lancashire seaside town
Dave Currie, 49, who works in a donut shop on the promenade, said: ‘I remember when you could go into the Pleasure Beach for free and just pick the rides you wanted to go on’
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is closing five rides this year after posting a £2.7million loss
Along with much poor quality housing, Blackpool has four times the average number of drug deaths, nearly double the rate of smoking deaths, the highest proportion of alcohol deaths and the highest rate of serious mental health issues in England.
Blackpool Council has a £90million plan to regenerate deprived areas particularly in the centre of the town, after receiving Government funding last year to demolish about 400 unfit properties and replace them with up to 280 bigger new homes.
And Claire Smith from Stay Blackpool, a trade group for local holiday accommodation, has tried to reassure Pleasure Beach visitors – pointing out that new rides and refurbishing existing rides costs millions of pounds and can therefore lead to a loss in the accounts.
Pleasure Beach has also recently unveiled ambitious plans for a new £8.7million spinning pendulum ride, dubbed ‘Project MMXXVI’, which will reach 138ft when it opens next year.
And a Pleasure Beach spokeswoman painted a positive picture for the future of the park, telling MailOnline: ‘It has been a challenging few years of trading across the entire industry, and we have undertaken the necessary actions to continue to offer the same amazing experiences to our guests.
‘We have already undertaken a strategic review and implemented changes; this has now concluded. The changes referenced in the accounts have all been actioned and completed, furthermore there are currently no plans to close any further rides.
‘We are confident there is lots to look forward to at Pleasure Beach Resort for the immediate and long-term future, beginning with the opening of Launch Pad this spring, and our announcement of an £8.72million Gyro Swing, opening in 2026.’
Blackpool Pleasure Beach introduced the ‘Switchback Gravity Railway’ rollercoaster in 1906
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, pictured In 1933, was first opened on the seafront in 1896
The Big Dipper rollercoast at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Lancashire opened in August 1923
The theme park was on the beach itself until 1923 when the promenade was extended south
Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park is a popular attraction for visitors to the seaside town
Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park in Lancashire celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2021
Riders on the 74mph Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach which was opened in 1994
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is home to some of the oldest rollercoasters in the world
The park also pointed out that its overall opening hours in 2025 are actually greater than in 2024 – because it will be open 220 days in 2025 but it was only 213 last year.
This equates to 1572.5 operational hours this year, compared to 1504.5 in 2024.
But bosses are having to implement a ‘headcount review’ ahead of the changes to wages from the Government coming in from next Tuesday.
Organisations currently pay a rate of 13.8 per cent on employees’ earnings above a £9,100-a-year threshold.
But Rachel Reeves said in her Budget last October that a new rate of 15 per cent will come in from April, with the threshold reduced to £5,000.
The Chancellor also said the national living wage for workers aged 21 and over will be increasing by 6.7 per cent from £11.44 an hour to £12.21.
Last month, Pleasure Beach revealed that five smaller rides – the Eddie Stobart Convoy, Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, Gallopers and Red Arrows Skyforce – would all be shut during the 2025 season, which began in February half-term.
And this week, local business owners and visitors spoken to by MailOnline on a sunny afternoon in the ‘Las Vegas of the North’ voiced fears that the year has been quieter so far – blaming the weather and visitors struggling to afford treats.
Dave Currie, 49, who works in a donut shop on the promenade, said: ‘I have worked here for two-and-a-half years, and I have seen a steady decline in people coming to Blackpool.
‘And even on busy days, people aren’t spending as much as they did during previous seasons.
‘A good sign of people spending money is the number of bags they are carrying. People just wander down the prom and don’t buy as much.’
He added: ‘I remember when you could go into the Pleasure Beach for free and just pick the rides you wanted to go on.
‘Then they started to charge an admission fee before switching to a set fee. It’s a lot of money for a family to go to the Pleasure Beach, especially when some of the best rides were closed for part of the day.
‘Maybe the Pleasure Beach bosses only have themselves to blame if they are losing money.’
Tickets at Pleasure Beach cost from £30 for adults or from £25 for children under 12 – going up to £50 and £40 respectively on the day.
Phil Whiting was on a week-long holiday with his wife, Lydia, and son, Reuben, four.
Neglected shops in Blackpool which is ranked as one of the UK’s most deprived areas
Blackpool clairvoyant Mariah Foreman said this year ‘hasn’t been as busy as previous years’
A former cafe and a fish and chip shop are among the boarded up storefronts in Blackpool
A photograph taken with a drone of Blackpool Tower, in between the North and Central piers
Tarun Mehan, 47, owner of the Meat ‘n’ Plaice fish and chip shop in Blackpool, said: ‘This year has been quiet so far. People don’t appear to have as much to spend and are cutting back’
A shuttered mobile phone repair shop in the Lancashire seaside resort of Blackpool
Josh Johnson, 31, manager of Notarianni Ices, said lots of locals are regular customers
The 39-year-old property manager, from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, said: ‘My dad lives in St Annes, so we come to visit and make it into a caravan holiday. It can be expensive coming here and we plan where we go in advance to get the best deals.
‘I’ve been coming to Blackpool since I was a child and used to go to the Pleasure Beach, it was free admission. I think it’s £50 a ticket if you pay on the day which would put me off.’
Pleasure Beach introduced an entry fee in 2009 – and before then you could pay per ride.
Mr Whiting added: ‘We can’t just pick where we are going and what we are doing on the day because it is too expensive. If we didn’t have family living close by, I’m not sure we would come as much.’
His wife Lydia, 36, an accountant, said: ‘We have the whole week planned out to help save money. We’ve exchange Clubcard vouchers for meals out and to get cheaper admission prices, which makes it quite cheap.
‘It can still be expensive. To go swimming is crazy expensive. It costs £90 for a family of four to swim for three hours. We went the zoo and it cost £10 for two coffees and an ice cream. We have had a lot of picnics this holiday.’
Meanwhile local clairvoyant Mariah Foreman, 66, said: ‘This year hasn’t been as busy as previous years. It is quiet today but it is a week day and it’s not school holidays.
‘People just don’t have as much spare money as they used to for going out on day trips. Everything is going up in price. You go to the shop and a chocolate bar that used to cost £1 is now £1.50.
‘I don’t know how families afford to go on days out. It is hard for families. The children want ice creams, sweets and drinks while they are out, which soon adds up. I have my regulars but I don’t get as many new people coming to me as I used to’
Tarun Mehan, 47, owner of the Meat ‘n’ Plaice fish and chip shop, has run the business for 15 months.
He told MailOnline: ‘This year has been quiet so far. People don’t appear to have as much to spend and are cutting back. The weather last year didn’t help us, either.
‘If the weather is bad, people don’t come to Blackpool but we still have to buy all the stock, which then has to be thrown away if not sold. People are spending less and our costs are going up.
A closed amusement arcade next to an ice cream shop on Blackpool promenade this week
Hotels in Blackpool still try to attract customers despite many heading abroad on holidays
A closed confectionary store on the promenade in Blackpool this week
A Cinderella carriage on Blackpool promenade is one of the attractions available for tourists
Shutters are pulled down on an amusement arcade on Blackpool seafront
A closed budget gift shop in Blackpool as the town grapples with the cost-of-living crisis
A closed confectionary store on the promenade in Blackpool this week
‘Fish, cooking oil, gas and electricity are much more expensive now than ever before. Then wages and national insurance payments will go up next month.
‘It is hard at the moment. We are really hoping for a good summer to attract people to Blackpool.’
Notarianni Ices, which opened in 1928 and is celebrating its 97th season, has had a good start to trading.
Manager Josh Johnson, 31, said: ‘We always get a buzz at the start of every season, and we have been quite fortunate with the weather, so trade has been good.
‘We have a lot of locals who are regular customers which helps. The town tries to support local businesses and we all help each other. We also attract a lot of new customers too, through our social media posts.
‘There was a buzz in the town after Covid with a lot of people holidaying in the UK and after not being on holiday for a while. The last couple of years has seen footfall decrease but I think that was down to the bad summers.
‘The weather was awful, which is never good for business.’
As for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, new accounts filed for the latest financial year – the 12 months to March 24, 2024 – showed the park had a turnover of £32.1million, up from £31.8million the year before.
But the Companies House return last Friday also revealed it made a pre-tax loss of £2.7million, which worsened significantly from a £520,000 loss the previous year.
Director Jonathan Gray, writing on behalf of the board, said: ‘Trading in the current year has been extremely difficult due to many external factors beyond our control.
The Yates bar on Blackpool Promenade closed permanently in March 2022
A closed confectionary store on the promenade in Blackpool this week
A closed budget gift shop in Blackpool as the town grapples with the cost-of-living crisis
A Cinderella carriage on Blackpool promenade is one of the attractions available for tourists
Boarded-up windows and doors at the Blue Waves Hotel in Blackpool
The Melrose Hotel on Alexandra Road in Blackpool has a boarded-up window
‘The cost-of-living crisis is ongoing. We do not foresee any short-term change. We continue to review our operation with a view to making the business more efficient and sustainable.
‘The company has instigated a headcount review and a review of the assets on park. As a result, a number of rides will be closed for the forthcoming season.
‘We are also looking at how we profile the opening and closing times of both individual rides and the park itself with a view to maximising efficiency (and therefore cost) whilst balancing it with achieving great customer satisfaction.’
The report also revealed a series of ‘energy efficiency actions’ taken at the site, including LED lights and a new staff canteen with a ground source heat pump.
Mr Gray added: ‘The company continues to ensure that all our guests receive a quality experience and value for money. This is monitored through a comprehensive programme of guest research and satisfaction surveys.
‘The company continues to invest in its infrastructure to ensure that the business is well promoted through marketing and improved control systems to ensure we are able to maximise our returns and reduce our exposure to potential loss.’
Pleasure Beach is one of the most iconic attractions of Blackpool, a town that had existed for centuries as a small hamlet clustered around a ‘black pool’ before experiencing growth as a resort from the late 18th century.
Much of this has been put down to people learning about the health benefits of bathing in seawater which were promoted by scientific writer William Hutton.
However it was the arrival of the railways in the 1840s that saw the real tourism boom as workers from Lancashire’s industrial mill towns brought their families for a day out by the seaside.
Seven miles of seafront were laid out along with beach, with the town’s first pier, North Pier, built in 1863; before the Borough Theatre opened in 1876.
A closed confectionary store on the promenade in Blackpool this week
People walk along Blackpool Promenade on a sunny afternoon this week
A closed confectionary store on the promenade in Blackpool this week
Blackpool was traditionally a popular seaside resort with those from Lancashire mill towns
Shutters down on a shop in Blackpool which has been struggling with the cost-of-living crisis
The Yates bar on Blackpool Promenade closed permanently in March 2022
A closed confectionary store on the promenade in Blackpool this week
Neglected shuttered frontages to shops in Blackpool which is in need of major regeneration
An aerial view showing the Central Pier and Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the background
Later that decade the Blackpool Carnival was first held in 1879 which drew up to 100,000 spectators and the UK’s first permanent electric street tramway opened in 1885.
The Blackpool Opera House was built in 1889 and by this stage the resort could accommodate an estimated 250,000 visitors in the various hotels and guest houses popping up.
Its most famous landmark the Blackpool Tower, which was modelled on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, opened in 1894; before the town’s famous illuminations began in 1912.
Around this time the town’s Central Station had become the world’s busiest railway station in 1911, with 650 trains coming and going in a single day in 1936.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which opened in the late 19th century, has its roots in the fairground rides initially run by travellers in the South Beach area of the town.
A steam carousel was opened by Yorkshire meat trader John Outhwaite in 1895, before William George Bean started up a pedal-bike monorail.
The two joined forces after Bean founded the Pleasure Beach Company in 1896, and the theme park was on the beach itself until 1923, when the promenade was extended south on reclaimed land.
Blackpool is now home to some of the oldest rollercoasters in the world – the Big Dipper, Blue Flyer, Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak.
Among the other attractions that continue to bring visitors into the town are the immersive Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse and Peter Rabbit experiences, Madame Tussauds, the Blackpool Tower Dungeon, Sea Life Blackpool and Blackpool Tower Circus.
Sea Life Blackpool, amusement arcades and Blackpool Tower are among the town’s attractions
A parade of closed shops in Blackpool which has suffered from deprivation in recent decades
A broken door to a closed former food store in Blackpool which also offered deliveries
An aerial photograph taken with a drone of Blackpool Tower and the beach alongside it
A couple walk past the entrance to North Pier on Blackpool seafront in Lancashire
People walk past a cashpoint and telephone box in the town centre of Blackpool
A former showroom is fenced off and available for purchase in Blackpool town centre
A woman walks past shuttered storefronts in Blackpool including a fish and chip shop
An aerial photograph taken with a drone of seaside hotels in Blackpool
A ‘sorry we are closed’ sign in the window of a business in Blackpool which is no longer trading
The Blackpool Tower Ballroom is also known for being the filming location for the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, where 99 celebrities and 52 professional dancers have performed.
Blackpool continues to attract tens of thousands of visitors today, but its last proper peak os cited as the August bank holiday of 1981, when all 28,000 deckchairs in the town were rented.
However by this point the UK tourism industry was already changing dramatically, with the growth of package holidays from the 1960s meaning many of Blackpool’s visitors were instead now heading abroad.
An oversupply of guest houses then led to property investors buying the ageing Edwardian properties to turn them into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
While a one-bedroom flat in the town centre can cost as little as just over £100 a week, the poor quality homes are symptomatic of the economic issues facing the town.
Blackpool also has an average house price-to-earnings ratio of 3.9, which is the joint lowest in England with nearby Burnley. Only Blaenau Gwent in Wales is lower in the UK, at 3.8.
Recent data released by the Office for National Statistics also showed that between 2021 and 2023, the lowest life expectancy across local areas in England was in Blackpool at 73.1 years for males and 78.9 years for females.
This was compared to the highest life expectancy for men in the wealthy Hampshire district of Hart at 83.4 years, while for women it was Kensington and Chelsea in London at 86.5 years.
Meanwhile the proportion of children in care in Blackpool is almost three times the national average, with 70 to 80 per cent living in the poorest fifth of the country.
Shoppers look inside the window of a store in Blackpool offering a 50 per cent off sale
A terraced street of guest houses and hotels in the Lancashire seaside resort of Blackpool
A parade of shops and various other businesses with Blackpool Tower in the background
The South Pier in Blackpool is one of the attractions that brings visitors into the town
An aerial photograph taken with a drone of Blackpool Tower, which first opened in 1894
The North Pier, Central Pier and Blackpool Pleasure Beach can be seen in the Lancashire resort
The promenade in Blackpool and what was the UK’s first permanent electric street tramway
A boarded up former cafe in Blackpool, a town which has suffered deeply in recent decades
Blackpool now has England’s worst mortality rate and highest proportion of children in care
Food stands outside the Coral Island amusement arcade on Blackpool seafront
Blackpool has England’s biggest workforce proportion economically inactive due to sickness
A report by Blackpool Council last October revealed it has the highest proportion of alcohol related deaths and the highest rate of serious mental health issues in England.
That is combined with four times the average number of drug deaths and nearly double the rate of smoking deaths.
The study also found the major drivers behind the health issues in the town are heart diseases (21.8% in males, 24.1% in females), cancer (15.7% in males, 15.6% in females) and respiratory diseases (14.5% in males, 15.9% in females).
The demise of the town’s tourism economy has also led to reduced opportunities for locals to secure a steady job and find a decent home, with many instead turning to gambling.
Citizens Advice in Blackpool said it had witnessed a 28 per cent increase in gambling-related harm for the under-25s in 2022.
The figure for gambling-related harm in adults doubled from 2019 to 2022 and around 25 per cent with debt problems had some element of gambling exposure.
The town has also suffered from drugs and violence, with the nephew of late crooner Joe Longthorne telling the Daily Mail last year of his battles with armed yobs.
Aaron Longthorne, 19, recalled being attacked with machetes, knives and broken glass on the streets of Blackpool.
The teenager, who manages a sea-front rock shop on the promenade, said the town had been destroyed by drug related violence.
He said: ‘I have been beaten, slashed with machetes and stabbed in the chest with a shard of glass. That one put me in hospital.’
A cashpoint and telephone box in the town centre of Blackpool in Lancashire
Blackpool has four times the average number of drug deaths in England
People walk past a sweet and gift shop in Blackpool, one of the UK’s most deprived areas
Blackpool has the UK’s lowest male average life expectancy at 73.1 years
A parade of shops and various other businesses with Blackpool Tower in the background
Blackpool Council has a £90million plan to regenerate deprived areas in the centre of the town
Two pawnbroker shops facing each other across the junction of a road in Blackpool
An aerial view showing the North Pier and Blackpool Tower in the Lancashire resort
The South Pier in Blackpool which is one of three piers in the Lancashire seaside resort
The first pier in Blackpool, North Pier, was built in 1863 and still welcomes visitors today
Aaron, who grew up in Hull before moving to Blackpool, said: ‘I became a bit of a target because of my association with Joe, who was a big name in Blackpool.
‘At night the town can be a scary place. The spice drug turns people into the living dead. They are like zombies. Blackpool is like a zombie town.’
Blackpool also has the highest proportion of workforce economically inactive because of sickness in England, at 16.9 per cent. It is only beaten in the UK by Clackmannanshire in Scotland at 17.4 per cent.
In addition, it is the fourth least expensive location for first-time buyers according to Rightmove, with the average asking price for a typical first-time buyer home at £93,711.
The only cheaper places in the UK are Kilmarnock in Ayrshire at £84,325; Greenock in Inverclyde at £88,862; and Grimsby in Lincolnshire at £93,427.
Meanwhile figures released this week by Marketing Lancashire showed the town attracted 21.5million visitors in 2023, up 6 per cent from 20.3million in 2022.
Its tourism industry has been valued at £1.98billion, and this is said to account for 32 per cent of the value of Lancashire’s total visitor economy.
Major investments in 2023 included the £2.3million Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse immersive experience, the return of the Valhalla ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach after a £4million renovation, and Blackpool Zoo opening a £1.5million big cat facility.
The council’s own tourism performance data, which came out last December, also claimed footfall on the Promenade was up last summer by 9 per cent in June, 41 per cent in July and 24 per cent in August.
Much of this was said to be linked to free events such as the Blackpool Air Show, the World Fireworks Championships and the Illuminations switch-on.
However, tourism chief Claire Smith, president of hoteliers group Stay Blackpool, said in January that the town suffered ‘one of its most challenging seasons ever’ with more people only visiting for day trips rather than staying overnight due to the cost of living crisis.
The local authority additionally invested in an advertising featuring ‘resort ambassador’ Nigel C Gull, a seagull puppet voiced by Lancashire comedian Johnny Vegas.
Tourists on Blackpool beach with the Tower in the background in April 1950
Holidaymakers enjoy the weather on deckchairs on Blackpool beach in September 1956
Thousands cram onto Blackpool beach on an August bank holiday weekend in the 1930s
The town is now preparing for a new £100million Civil Service Hub to open later this year for 3,000 workers, which will become the town’s tallest office building.
It is part of a £350million redevelopment of the Talbot Gateway around Blackpool North train station – which is served by London Euston – and the council has said will bring more than 8,000 professional workers and students into the town centre.
A Blackpool Council spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘As a local authority, we are wholly committed to improving the quality of life of our town’s residents, as well as continuing to attract the millions of visitors who come to Blackpool every year because they love it so much.
‘Whilst Blackpool is so well known for fun and happy times, like many other seaside towns it is faced with both economic and health challenges including high levels of deprivation, dependency and social need and we are doing much to tackle these issues head on.
‘Working proactively alongside our colleagues in the NHS, as well as other partners we provide a number of health and welfare schemes to try and ensure that families, children and individuals get the help and advice that they need.
‘At the same time we also need to look to the future. So we along with partners are investing heavily in Blackpool in a diverse range of development projects to drive economic regeneration, create new jobs to help our communities, and deliver an improved environment for residents and visitors alike.’
The authority said a £2billion ‘growth and prosperity programme’ was creating new jobs in Blackpool, extending the tourism season and ’embracing growth sectors’.
This spring will see 3,000 Department for Work and Pensions workers move into the new town centre office, which the council said was a ‘huge boost for local businesses’.
Construction work is also set to start next door later this year on a new higher education campus, ‘Multiversity’, which the council said will ‘deliver skills and opportunities for generations of our children in a location accessible for all’.
The authority added that this year it ‘will also start to deliver the £90million of funding we won from Homes England to create hundreds more genuinely affordable, quality homes for Blackpool residents’.