For millions of viewers Blackpool is the glitzy sea-side town which regularly hosts the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing show.
And for many Brits of a certain generation the town is etched in their collective consciousness thanks to fond memories of family days out.
With its miles of golden sand, rip-roaring pleasure beach and traditional beer gardens, the town provided families with buckets of fun.
But now figures released by the Office for National Statistics have revealed a darker side to the town which was once so cherished.
The ONS figures have revealed that men born in Blackpool will now live until just after their 73rd birthday, six years less than the average in the rest of England.
And a recent report by Blackpool Council revealed more about the factors underpinning the figures released by the ONS.
The Lancashire town which boomed in the post-war years, is now the UK’s most deprived local authority .
It has the highest proportion of alcohol related deaths and the highest rate of serious mental health issues in England. And that is combined with four times the average number of drug deaths and nearly double the rate of smoking deaths.
The report also reveals that the women living in the town also have a poor life expectancy at 79.5 years, compared to 83.2 years for the rest of England.
The same report also identified other factors that have contributed to the decline of the town, such as an over-supply of guest houses
Citizens Advice Blackpool said the figure for gambling-related harm in adults doubled from 2019 to 2022
Blackpool has replaced Glasgow as the area where males have the lowest life expectancy in Britain, new figures reveal
The Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool (Pictured) is the most deprived local authority in the UK
And it reveals that 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 same report also identified other factors that have contributed to the decline of the town, such as an over-supply of guest houses. Landlords have since bought the old guest houses to create homes of multiple occupation, many of which were low quality.
The report also revealed that the demise of the town’s tourism economy has led to reduced opportunities for locals to secure a steady job and find a decent home. And many locals have sought solace in gambling, only to acerbate their problems.
One local who became addicted to gambling said: ‘You get so low, you feel like running in front of a bus, you get into so much debt and it’s terrifying.’
Citizens Advice in Blackpool said they witnessed a 28% increase in gambling-related harm for the under-25s in 2022.
They said the figure for gambling-related harm in adults doubled from 2019 to 2022 and estimated that around 25% with debt problems had some element of gambling exposure.
For many Blackpool became symptomatic of the decline of the UK’s coastal towns which once drew huge crowds.
In more recent years the town has become associated with a seedy underbelly revolving around exploitation, drugs and violence.
The town, which previously boomed post-World War II, has the highest proportion of alcohol related deaths
Aaron Longthorne, 19, recalled being attacked with machetes, knives and broken glass on the streets of Blackpool
Teenager Aaron said that in his view County Lines style drug gangs from big cities had contributed to the town’s problems
The new figures also revealed that the women living in the town also have a poor life expectancy at 79.5 years, compared to 83.2 years for the rest of England
Now sections of the town are blighted by boarded up shops, low quality fast-food outlets and slot machine gambling venues.
The nephew of late crooner Joe Longthorne told the Mail of his battles with armed yobs on the streets.
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.’
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.’
The teenager said that he thought more could be done to stem the town’s decline. He said: ‘Look trade is not bad and I am busy all the year round. But something has got to be done about the drug scene.’
Aaron said that in his view County Lines style drug gangs from big cities had contributed to the town’s problems.
A decline in tourism in recent years has meant fewer opportunities for locals to find a steady job and secure housing
Citizens Advice in Blackpool said they witnessed a 28% increase in gambling-related harm for the under-25s in 2022 (Pictured: Inside Coral Island in Blackpool)
The seaside town has the the highest rate of serious mental health issues in England
A street in Blackpool with several former businesses boarded up inside what appears to be a dilapidated building
Fish and chip shop owner Tarun Mehan said the now closed nightclub would cause issues in the early hours of the morning in the town
He said: ‘The drug dealers are rarely local – gangs from Birmingham have a big influence here.’
Mandy Slater and Josie O’Mahony were in the town on a short break to do some shopping.
Mandy said: ‘We are from Darlington but the shopping experience in Blackpool is a lot better than at home.
‘We normally come for a few days and stay in a hotel. Yes the town it not quite what it used to be and I would certainly not go out in the evening.
‘But the range of shops brings us here and there is still a bit of a buzz.’
Tarun Mehan runs a fish and chip shop in the town centre, in the shadow of Blackpool Tower.
He said: ‘It was mainly the nightclub crowd that caused problems during the early hours. But many of the clubs have closed down now so that issue has faded away a bit. Yes we have kids messing around but you will get that in any town.
‘Trade is ok for us here. Fortunately we get a lot of families coming in for a meal, particularly at the weekend. I can’t complain really.’
Beverley Abbot-Hull and Jean Latus, who live just north of Blackpool in the Cleveleys area, popped in to have walk around the shops.
In more recent years the town has become associated with a seedy underbelly revolving around exploitation, drugs and violence
They also estimated that around 25% with debt problems had some element of gambling exposure
Other major health issues in the town include heart diseases, cancer and respiratory diseases (14.5% in males, 15.9% in females)
‘Look trade is not bad and I am busy all the year round. But something has got to be done about the drug scene,’ Aaron said (Pictured: A view of Blackpool seafront)
Sisters Beverly Abbotts-Hull and Jean Latus grew up in the seaside town but believe it has ‘lost its sparkle’ in recent years
Josie O’Mahoney and Mandy Slater continue to come to Blackpool for their shopping as they say the town has good range of stores
Beverley said: ‘We both grew up here and the town holds many memories. I remember spending every summer on Blackpool beach and we loved it as kids.’
Jean said: ‘I remember seeing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones play here. There was a near riot when the Stones came here but I preferred The Beatles.’
Jean explained that the town had lost its sparkle over the years and was now a bit forlorn.
She said: ‘There are just too many boarded up shops. You just get the sense that its all over now.’
Dr Arif Rajpura, the council’s director of public health, is leading the fight against the town’s evident problems.
Dr Rajpura has not been afraid to oppose planning applications for more fast-food outlets, and has also hit out at gambling companies sponsoring the town’s football club.
He said: ‘We are the paid nuisance in the council, absolutely. I have had to play that card several times. Whenever there’s been a planning application for a fast food outlet, for instance, or another licensed premises in the town centre, we’ve objected to it. We also do it with external organisations.
‘Take the football club as an example, where we made a conscious decision to object to their taking a gambling company as a sponsor. We also objected to a confectionery company sponsoring children’s activities with the Football Community Trust. What these companies are trying to do is say, it’s alright to eat as much chocolate as you want, just do a little bit of physical activity. Well, that’s not the message we want to give to our kids.
‘I’m sorry, we can’t take this money because it just doesn’t give the right message. It’s good that that people are now consulting us and taking our advice, and then acting on it and not taking those sources of funding.’
Joseph Elliott, Lead Analyst at JRF, says: ‘With shamefully high levels of poverty in Blackpool it’s shocking but not surprising that the town has the lowest life expectancy in Great Britain.
‘Not being able to afford essential items like enough food or heating robs people of options and dignity but also impacts their health. This in turn puts pressure on public services in more deprived areas like Blackpool, which are staggering under the weight of hardship.
‘If we want people’s health in Blackpool to improve, we need to hear how the government intends to immediately bring down hardship as a first step.
‘But we also need to see the longer-term change that’s needed if everyone in our country is going to have the same chances of good health, regardless of where they live.’
The same report also identified other factors that have contributed to the decline of the town, such as an over-supply of guest houses
A man pictured fitting CCTV at a business in the seaside town of Blackpool
A Blackpool Council spokesperson said: ‘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.
‘Next year will see the opening of our new Civil Service hub, bringing over 3,000 office workers into our town centre – a huge boost for local businesses.
