Crack-riddled UK seaside town where junkies bunk down in grim ‘Death Row’ street

The street of a seaside town has been overrun by druggies as an abundance of drug dealing has caused a mini crime wave to hit the town – residents have nickname the street ‘Death Row’

Residents of a once popular seaside town have been outraged as the streets have been dubbed “Death Row” after junkies trade drugs in broad daylight. Some resident have even had to fight off crackheads fuelled by cocaine while walking down the street.

Once an up market and bustling resort, the streets of Bridlington, in East Yorkshire, were known for their excellent shellfish as it was once referred to as the Lobster Capital of Europe – sadly those days are behind us.

While tourists still flock the town’s sandy beaches and funfair a short distance from the promenade lies Tennyson Avenue which has become infamous amongst locals. Nicknamed “Death Row”, drug deals frequently take place in broad daylight as junkies and crack fiends scour the streets looking for their next fix.

One anonymous resident revealed just how dire the situation had become and said: “The best thing about Bridlington now is the road out of it.”

“Ex-prisoners used to live next door, and they were drug taking and setting fire to the place,” she added, “There is drug dealing going on all the time. There’s a particular car I recognise and it’s dropping things off all the time,” she said.

The resident reminisced about how Tennyson Avenue used to be years ago before the street was overrun by druggies and dealers.

“When I moved here it was excellent. It was really quite wonderful,” she said.

“I used to be proud to say, I live on Tennyson Avenue, but I’m not now. There’s not much I can do, I have to live through it,” she added.

Simon Elvidge, a former commercial diver, has explained how he had been forced to fend off cocaine induced attackers attempting to start a scrap with him on the streets of Tennyson Avenue.

“This road used to be posh. But now it is full of druggies and drugs,” he said.

“It has gradually become worse but I think this is happening to every seaside town.

“They deal all sorts of drugs around here. At one point we had a place on the corner which used to house people coming out of jail,” he added.

Simon pulled the cover back on how the streets drug issues have sparked a mini crime wave and explained how druggies had taken to shoplifting in an attempt to pay for their drugs. He said: “That was a mini crime wave. They would shoplift to pay for their drugs.”

“The police are up and down all of the time. I worry about it but I can handle myself. I’ve had to do it a few times.

“I’ve had to knock a few crack heads out. One time I had a guy who came up to me and wanted to start a fight.

“But they don’t even know what they’re doing most of the time, they’re so high,” he added.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.