A seaside town has become inundated with thieves and drug dealers, residents say, as they complain of dozens of abandoned homes.
Locals in Horden, County Durham, say they are plagued by drug deals on their doorsteps while their streets are left creepily empty. House prices hit as low as £5k last year in some areas in a desperate attempt to fill the empty homes.
The council has even reportedly covered empty houses with fake plastic doors and windows to try and convince criminals they’re already occupied. The Daily Mail reported one street had twenty homes plastered with fake windows.
One local told the outlet: “It’s become really, really bad with crime.”
Brian Bellingham, 50, said: “’I’ve been here all my life and it’s getting worse to live here. Every one of these numbered streets will have around 20 empty houses.
“I think the fake doors look alright considering the houses are empty. It’s better than walking past buildings that have boards up and shattered windows.”
He added the lack of work has led to severe issues with crime.
“I remember when all these houses were full and everyone would know each other,” he said. “Now it’s nowhere near the same.”
The town’s population was 15,000 in the 1950s – but has since more than halved to 6,807 in 2021.
Estate agent Anya Carter said the fake plastic doors were there “because Horden is a very deprived area and a lot of people who live there aren’t working.
“It used to be a great area when the mines were around but it has declined a lot.”
Durham County Council agreed to invest £6m into the regeneration of Horden as part of an plan to provide a better standard of housing and quality of life for local people, the Hartlepool Mail reported last month.
Properties in Third Street will be acquired by the council and redeveloped to provide high-quality housing, demolished and new properties built in their place or a mix of the two.
The plan also includes improved walking and cycling routes to Peterlee town centre, Horden train station and the Durham Heritage Coast.
Responses to a consultation showed there was “strong support for the demolition and clearance of the numbered streets” the council said.
Councillor James Rowlandson, cabinet member for resources, investment and assets, acknowledged the authority does “not have the funding to redevelop all” the streets it wants to.
But he said the initial work could “act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider area”.
“The revitalisation of Third Street could help us attract developers to work with us on the remainder of the numbered streets, and support delivery of our ambitious regeneration plans,” he explained.
