A UK town has been described as ‘living in the dark ages’, with locals lamenting the sad situation.
The accusation was made despite the northern town being supposedly ‘vibrant’ just a mere ten years ago, reports Teesside Live.
But now residents of Eston, in North Yorkshire, describe the former mining town as “very quiet”, including one clothes shop owner, Yvonne Haley, who says the town’s decline began as soon as businesses started to close, adding: “It’s amazing how much footfall we’ve lost – when it gets to 1pm I’ll be lucky if I have a customer.”
The situation for Yvonne has got so bad that she’s closing her Little Miracle Clothing shop at Christmas, saying: “There’s just no point.”
She thinks the town’s downfall was partly due to the Covid pandemic, while also adding “no one has got any money” to spend. She described the town as previously being “a lovely precinct”, adding “there used to be a butchers”.
Meanwhile, fellow resident Gina Walker thinks crime has got worse in the area, adding she is regularly seeing “yobs on scooters”.
Gina painted a bleak picture of Eston, which is in the outskirts of Middlesbrough, saying “there’s nothing much good about it”, even adding: “there’s only one bank but there used to be three”. She also blasted the town’s reputation for both its crime, and its lack of a Tesco or Aldi, while pointing out there isn’t a good sense of community in the town.
Another resident said it’s like ‘living in the dark ages’ because of the poor transport links and lack of shopping options for vegans.
The town is represented by Conservative MP Jacob Young, and its local council is majority Conservative. Average house prices in the area are about £139,000, well below the national average of £286,000.
The town’s Tory councillor, David Taylor, says efforts are being made to tackle crime in the area, claiming it is “making a difference”.
He said: “Like many areas in the North East, Eston does have its issues with crime and anti-social behaviour.
“That said, having spoken to the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, the latest figures show crime in the area has significantly reduced over the last six months with burglaries and ASB down and the number of people charged with shoplifting up.
“As part of this community, I speak to people in Eston every single day so I genuinely do understand the frustrations that are being expressed here. But that’s largely because people just aren’t aware of what is actually happening here and what is in the pipeline.
“Back in March, our MP Jacob Young, secured £20million for the TS6 area. Another £20 million has since been secured on top of that, which I am yet to see reported anywhere.
“Of that £40million, £8million has been set aside for Eston Precinct which will go a long way to bringing more shops to the area. The reason the precinct is unoccupied at the moment is because retailers know that huge changes are coming. They’re not going to fill units that won’t be there for long.
“One issue I am keenly aware of is the uncertainty facing the current occupiers in the precinct – some have been there for 17 years. The council does need to do more to reassure those businesses about their future and I’m pushing for this.
“With regard to the Post Office, having spoken to the Regional Manager, they’re currently operating on the basis that the Normanby and Whale Hill branches cover the area’s needs. However, following the redevelopment of Eston Precinct, if the footfall increases like we expect it to, this is something that the Post Office will look at again.”
Jacob Young, Tory MP for Redcar, was similarly passionate: “We have worked extremely hard to unlock the £40 million which is going to help transform the TS6 area and specifically secure a bright future for Eston Precinct.
“It’s clear that while the redevelopment brings temporary uncertainty for current precinct businesses, it also paves the way for long-term prosperity and an enhanced retail environment that will benefit the entire community in Eston.
“I do share Cllr Taylor’s commitment in pushing for transparency and support for the local businesses which currently occupy the Precinct. Many of them have stuck with Eston through thick and thin and for many years. They deserve our support.”
