I Visited the WORST AREAS to Live in DUDLEY, West Midlands

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Dudley used to be a lovely market town. Unfortunately the Merry Hill Centre killed it off as a shopping town. It used to have some major department stores, great small shops and a lovely shopping precinct. The area around the Priory, castle and zoo used to be a real tourist attraction. My family comes form the local area - but we all moved away many years ago. I’ve not visited Dudley for getting on for 20 years, other than the Black Country Museum - which is well worth the visit. Battered chips are a true Black Country delicacy!

[@invade81]

The zoo is still trucking!

[@oliverpearson1577]

I don't think Dudley was ever a 'lovely market town' in its entire history.

[@jamesalsworth7015]

It's always been a shithole

[@asa1973100]

Before Merry Hill super store opened Dudley was a FABULOUS place to shop

[@pubtalkpubtalk4642]

My parents nearly in their 80's used to say that Dudley was the place to be seen when they were younger.

[@MajorGowan1982]

I heard a Brummie refer to there as Merry *Hell* 😳

[@edwardpearce2492]

I worked near 'The Lye' some years ago, mostly owned by the Chinese at that point. I'm told it all fell apart when 'Bronx' closed its doors

[@amandashare1281]

Totally agree with you! Dudley Town Centre was fantastic!

[@tubecated_development]

Well, it’s all relative 🤣

[@robertrees2303]

You can throw another £10 million at Dudley,it won’t make any difference,it doesn’t cost you anything to put your rubbish and litter in the bin and take pride of where you live, people’s attitudes have changed so much these days,they don’t give a shite about anything other than themselves,they are downright bone idle.

[@jonnyc429]

The generations above them have clearly done a poor job raising these residents to be respectful and to uphold good values. Shame.

[@BangaBuseslad]

Spot on!

[@DonHomersdonut]

Well said

[@jimmythefool]

You walked past my old home at 9 St John’s Road at 11:20! The crime rate is insane here & you have to be tough to survive 😆 I could go into why this area has gone down hill over the past 30 years but taking a walk around here would make it pretty clear 🙄 The church is beautiful so it’s worth visiting just for that! Interesting video!!

[@teflondon9654]

Waaaaah the Asians waaaaaaah waaaah 😢

[@MidlandsClassicMotors]

Battered chips are a black country delicacy the blue submarine is a well known chippy and has won several awards. I've never really thought Russell hall estate was that bad. The wrenna, priory and kates hill have always had bad reputations. Was your crime data only for Dudley town rather than the whole borough? Because im surprised Brierley hill flats didn't make the list. I'd say one of the worst roads in Dudley is ivanhoe street. You should do one for the neighbouring borough of sandwell which is considerably poorer than dudley and usually described as one of the most deprived boroughs in the country.

[@ukexplored]

Honestly, it’s a bit bizarre how they choose the areas to group crime stats. I think it’s to do with how the police divide their time/resources, even looking at the stats for my city, I know it’s not representative of the most dangerous areas. But I have to stick to published stats for consistency, and the stats I used are from the police official stats. I’ll look into Sandwell, the more I dig into this area or the midlands and the more feedback I get the more interesting and revealing it gets.

[@seagreentangerine2065]

Most of those crimes are because.... THE BLACK COUNTRY ROUTE is a major road through those areas and CAR CRIME AND THEFT are rife because a lot of homes are on that road ​@@ukexplored You'll find these people drive from all over the Midlands to meet up and race cars....stolen ones, this is notorious and is where 60% of the areas police concentrate their efforts, followed by drug monitoring - some quiet areas in Pensnett and Kingswinford have been successfully raided for drugs and growing drugs etc it's just YOU wont see it in a newspaper... we're like the USA, watered down news.... if you live in an area you get the real story. Bicycle theft is great and I am campaigning for secure bike storage at Bilston Tram - apparently they had secure storage and removed it 4 years ago or so!!!!!!!!!!! Noone knows why. The Labour Wolverhampton Council have been notified because their Councillor had no idea it had hone, they still had an active waiting list.... yeah, I signed up 2 years ago and hence my reason for campaigning. They want you to use public transport or ditch your car.... MAKE IT SAFE TO PARK YOUR BIKE THEN 😂😂😂

[@hochiminh1313]

Drove through Dudley yesterday, it’s been absolutely destroyed, it was once a busy town, I remember it from the 70’s and 80’s, it’s shameful that it’s been allowed to be run into the floor.

[@ukexplored]

Yes, it's sad seeing and hearing about areas in the UK that have gone downhill.

[@das5813]

It went downhill when the EVIL thatcher and her Neoconservatives took over, same everywhere.

[@robertfelton1521]

Born and bred in Dudley,got to be honest,quite ashamed of the state of my hometown.moved to Kidderminster 4 years ago!

[@kirk9363]

Plenty of rough areas in kiddy.. Lots of pikeys about aswel.

[@simonfogarty3214]

Kiddy is a tip aswel

[@reganpinches5516]

Kiddy is worse!

[@hj2963]

Kidderminster is worse than Dudley rifle range is hard to beat

[@oliverpearson1577]

@@hj2963 It's not as bad as Dudley. There are a couple of rough estates, but it is a far more prosperous area than Dudley with much lower crime.

[@vasilishimself9806]

I used to go to Dudley all the time in the late '90s when I lived in Wolverhampton. I'd have my breakfast at the Inn Place in the mall, I'd go to Fellows for a pint, then at The Fusion on a Saturday night, maybe at Riley's for a game of pool afterwards...The people were friendly, the girls were hot and life was chill. Yes, it was generally a rough area but you'd only find trouble if you were looking for it. I miss those days.

[@garyhinson3876]

Dudley was a really nice place, but the run down started with the closure of some big steel plants in the area, which were replaced with out of town shopping centres, one such area, Castle gate, was once the home of Dudley town football club, and a county cricket ground. these were closed due to mining subsidence, and were replaced with a cinema, hotel a few fast food outlets, and a bloody big Tesco, funny that !

[@monteceitomoocher]

Very sad to see, when i left those streets fifty years ago Dudley was a bright bustling town full of every trade and profession you could name, now it looks like downtown Lagos, i was going to come up and kick over the traces, but perhaps i won't bother, i wonder what the root cause of its decline was, the round oak steel works closure, too many incomers?, i see my old primary school is the mosque now, and the Bluecoat secondary modern in bean road is a housing estate, i used to live right at the bottom of Bunns lane in one of the iron houses, one of which is now in the black country museum, but the real Dudley still lives on in my memories.

[@jgh548]

The loss of manufacturing industry, the destructive effect of Merry Hill. Plus lots of immigration, which while not a bad thing in itself, was not managed well enough, leading to separate communities emerging and a loss of a cohesive culture. Plus the historic and continuing utter incompetence and corruption of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.

[@monteceitomoocher]

@@jgh548 definitely a loss of cohesive culture, the town's a microcosm of the whole country, loss of manufacturing industry, too many incomers in too short a time, plus, as you say, the total incompetence of the metropolitan borough, i understand there's not many of its board who have much generational connection to the area which doesn't help, very sad, as a side note, an old colleague plonked a huge rusty nut and bolt on my desk one day, he was passing the demolition site of the iron houses, thought i would like a keepsake of my childhood home, it's one of my treasured possessions.

[@jgh548]

@@monteceitomoocher It’s very sad to see what’s become of the Black Country. Really, all the working class areas that relied on heavy industry were sold down the river in the 1980’s when the Thatcher government decided to turn us into a service economy.

[@BarryBethal-yv2oz]

Stoke on Trent would be a good area to take a look at especially Hanley what used to be a thriving shopping centre is dying off the council spend loads of money changing the road surface in the town centre while the pit holes are more like craters. I’ve never had “battered chips” either.

[@ukexplored]

Yeah stoke on Trent is on the short list for sure, I really want to go there and have seen some interesting news reports about a couple of areas. I think I’ll hit a couple more places in West Midlands first, Tipton and Smethwick are probably the two most requested areas, as are some of the most dangerous estates In Birmingham.

[@BarryBethal-yv2oz]

@@ukexplored yeah ok. Like I have commented on your previous video I used to deliver ceramic tiles round the midlands area so watching your videos I can see how these towns have deteriorated over the years. I find all your videos interesting 👍👍👍

[@ukexplored]

Thanks, appreciate that. It’s the same with the areas where I grew up and the places I know well, they’ve all gotten worse, it’s sad. Travelling more across the UK aha been a high eye opener, too.

[@stephensmith8454]

Just found your channel and as I'm now in a council estate it's helping. Many in Leeds are worth looking at. We shouldnt have to live like this. I'm a former care worker but it's impossible to keep a job down around the social problems. Thanks for what your doing.

[@ukexplored]

Glad you liked the video. I hope you're happy where you are and have a council that is doing everything they should, but sadly it's not often the case!

[@zeckham100]

Uk is a dump ,so depressing the people are demented

[@stephensmith8454]

@@ukexplored not remotely it's a neglected hell hole but thanks for asking

[@debbiecooke1651]

You stay strong and never give up wanting to make your life better.

[@person4402]

As always, with all of these places - which I have visited - it's the bad apples that bring these areas into disrepute, unfortunately.

[@Mylostsock11]

I lived in central dudley for over 20 years and still live in the borough. I can honestly tell you the headline on this vid is 100% correct lol! Nice to see russells hall spar is still going 🙌 The hospital is terrible, during covid im sure it was the midlands epicentre of the virus spreading...if you didnt have it when you went you were sure ti come home with it lol! P.s. battered chips are amazing!!

[@ste007]

Lol the batterd chips are amazing .... I'm only on the 1st bit of the video but he's put Russell's hall 1st !?!? I'm wondering weather he goes to the wrenna or kates Hill 😂

[@malachidrake7777]

Dudley has been in major decline since the 80s, perhaps Merry Hill played a part, but I think there are too many reasons to count. James Whale, director of Frankenstein and other Universal horrors, was a Kates Hill man I think. I lived in the area twice and the return was an eye opener despite me making the return from Brierley Hill, which as suggested might be an interesting visit, one you could dedicate a whole video to really. It will be interesting to see if the metro extension in Dudley/Brierley Hill makes any difference?

[@princebuster93]

@ malachidrake, the whole of the UK has been in decline since the 80s. Margaret Thatcher was warned about the infiltration of undercover Communists working for the destruction of Britain but she ignored the warning, not surprising but very sad

[@jameswhale5738]

I remember Dudley when it had four cinemas a.theatre and two roller skating rinks

[@samrichards1706]

Do Tipton, Princes End, The Lost City, The Rocket Pool. You will want to be back in Dudley.

[@ukexplored]

The two most requested or recommended places are probably Tipton and Smethwick, we're going to both of these this weekend actually, so we shall see!

[@kirk9363]

Smethwick has been bad for decades it's 99 percent Asian so it looks like bagdhad...

[@sgbh8874]

⁠@@kirk9363 Smethwick and Baghdad are full of Chinese people ?

[@jamesrobert4106]

​@@kirk9363Diseased.

[@willamshaw6944]

Tipton cones under sandwell council that why he did go there , i know tipton like the back of my hand having had 2 ex girfriend from there an lots friend who used drink in dudley an yes it f--king awful in in parts all the decent pubs went decades ago thete only pie factory left any good ,

[@fancymcclean6210]

Bugger! I lived in Kate's Hill in the 80s (Mons Rd). Then, it was an okay place to live, and Dudley Centre seemed vibrant. Nice to see that Malcolm still has his shop. There used to be a toffee shop in Dudley called 'Teddy Greys'. The banana and nougat toffees were divine. I wonder if it is still there? Anyway, I buggered off to New Zealand many years ago, and it seems I made a good move. Flaxen Saxon.

[@invade81]

It is still there!

[@SarahBall-n8u]

Hey, currently live kates hill... yes malcolms is still there but its not malcolms anymore (they just didn't change name) and yes teddy grays is still here :)

[@fancymcclean6210]

Yep. The original Malcolm would be in his 70s.@@SarahBall-n8u

[@lornaglasper6769]

@fancymcclean, We lived in Wrens Nest for 3 awful years. We too, emigrated to New Zealand, Thames, in 2020 and never looked back.

[@treaclelester7285]

A lot of the problem is litter and that’s down to the people who live in these areas. The Council don’t give a damn as is very self evident, or they would serving notices on property owners and cleaning up what belongs to the Council.

[@jonathanaikman2285]

Youth clubs around the country quite often get trashed, then the kids that did it say there's nothing to do.

[@ukexplored]

Yeah, all that rubbish on the floor there didn't just fall from the sky

[@kisukeurahara9618]

​@@ukexploredyou should take a trip around Pensnett in Dudley along with Kingswinford and Wordsley.

[@Ricky-oi3wv]

It's almost as if the disastrous social revolution they lived through will take more to fix than a room a few snooker tables in, innit?

[@uk_central348]

Coventry next mate. Some good content to be filmed around there Hillfields is worth a look at real run down inner city estate Willenhall and Woodend also a good shout

[@ukexplored]

Thanks, I've never been to Coventry so I'm interested to go, it's definitely on the to-go to list now, we'll get round to it.

[@juliejeavons6949]

One of the buildings you showed on Eve Hill has had scaffolding round it for over a month, so I’m not sure when you filmed this.

[@kirk9363]

I live in between eve hill and russels hall and your video makes it look worse than what it is.. I can walk any street here late at night and wouldn't have a problem. Don't see many people about. The leisure center is boarded up because they've built a state of the art facility half a mile up the road. Amongst a few more million on the town center. Russels hall is quite sought after because of the houses and the estate is generally quite peaceful and close to the hospital. Eve hill flats I believe are on the list to be demolished.. Blame the council for not maintaining the flats and as for the rubbish here an there it's common everywhere you go now because the cost of disposal people can't afford it. So when they leave a property they just dump it.. Again council should keep the streets clean. 🤷

[@jamesmaybrick2001]

Agreed. When i was a kid (in Brum) those road sweeper vans were a regular/weekly sight. These days (i live under Sandwell council now) they are a hugely rare and special sight. When streets are filthy people just drop more litter. When streets are cleaner to start with people are somewhat less likely to drop stuff. Its a feedback loop both ways. These days its just broken glass everywhere (schoolkids cause it in my experience). Whats a bit odd with Wrenns nest is that there is a majorly important scientific site that is somewhat famous in those circles (Dudley Bug) A clever council would make use of that. Make it a tourist attraction.

[@salopian4037]

Dudley, like many similar places, is like it because of the majority of the people who live there - pure and simple.

[@billdoor3140]

Government policies haven't helped. When labour started rewarding families for having multiple kids and no job the problem families just bred like mad. I live in wrens nest. And the crime comes from the same families who all have 8+ kids. They pump em out for benefits. If you have a child aged under 3 you're not forced to look for work. So everyone has a kid every couple of years then don't raise them correctly.

[@002lisamarie]

Lol.

[@MatthewLenton]

I find Dudley so depressing, The top part by the church needs some serious work and the other part of the shopping area isn't a lot better. It'll be even emptier if Wilko does go

[@AlisonBryen]

I can't remember the last time I went to Dudley. To put that into context, I live in Coseley. Beyond depressing.

[@billkent6037]

Wren's Nest is probably the worst. I got expelled from the Dudley College Wren's Nest campus in 1999. I did nothing wrong, I was just defending myself from thugs from the Wrens Nest estate that were harrassing me. I could have appealed but the place was so rough I didn't want to return anyway so I just went to Walsall College instead which was so much better and safer! The Priory estate was also very rough but I think it's been knocked down now

[@ukexplored]

Probably turned out for the best, as you said, but it doesn't change the fact that you were done wrong!

[@billkent6037]

@@ukexplored Thankyou! 24 years later and it's nice to know again that I was wronged! Yeah, it was proper, proper rough. The college building has since been demolished which is probably a good thing!

[@ashleyhawkins8232]

Priory Estate still here it's where Duncan Edwards was raised

[@hj2963]

How could he ignore the priory estate it’s the roughest and hardest place in the West Midlands

[@sicks6six]

when you are in an area and the place is full of rubbish in the streets, stained mattresses, old settees, bags of kitchen waste strewn about it can only happen because the people who live there hate them sleves, they also hate their neighbours, they hate their family and their friends, the destruction of your surroundings is like destroying yourself, you are were you live, where you live is who you are, inside their homes it will be just the same, rubbish everywhere, piles of clothes on the floor and tables full of empty beer bottles, kitchen sinks full of dirty greasy plates, old take away boxes everywhere, and it will stink, animals respect there lairs more than these people respect their homes, I'm at the age now where I realise there is no help for these people, build a high fence around them and lock them in and don't go inside,

[@ZapytajFotografa]

3:20 orange buttered chips are one of Black Country's local specials. I also haven't tried it yet 😅

[@Chalize]

If you live up the hill near the nature reserve in Wren's Nest, you'll find plenty to love if you're a nature enthusiast. There are ponds, a large football field, and a community centre with a basketball court in the back. I'm surprised you didn't mention them. The area is not all bad.

[@philipmo4609]

Lived in 2 of 4 places you mentioned in the 1980s through 1990s. It’s always been like that, I don’t see any change in the video since I left in the mid 1990s. Great that you made an effort to look into this town.

[@waynegoodman3345]

To be fair these areas don't look that bad I mean my mother always used to say slums don't just happen people make slums,back in her day people lived in REAL slums ie no inside toilets,disease,rats,no bathrooms etc and no benefits people were really poor but we didn't litter or dump rubbish generally for other people to deal with.

[@detectivethinker3637]

What period in the 20th Century was that?;

[@Tomatito1981]

Scarily recent I’m afraid - the old Victorian slums of Rookeries and the nightmares of Dickens were still being cleared and the inhabitants moved to tower block style housing into the late 1970s and early 80s. The tragedy is that the substandard housing of the industrial towns still exist

[@ruthmccabe3527]

@detectivethinker3637 There were massive slum clearance programs in the UK between the 1950's and the 1980's. Kind of strange you don't know that - unless you're not from the UK?

[@jont508]

Kates Hill was the estate i was located on for the first 6 months of being an apprentice tradesmen, back in 1996 , it shocked me as i had never been down there before , i'd only been along the oakham rd with the big detached houses probably worth a fortune

[@dalebenton3354]

Get the same thing in my Town as well here in King's Lynn,Rough places,Fly tipping going on,Garage doors been smashed up,All sorts of other things going on as well

[@Btchipz]

Another insightful vid mate, thanks! You need to check out 'Westlands' in Droitwich. It's a middle class 'nice' town but that estate has always been a bit sketchy

[@Btchipz]

Also up the battered chips

[@ukexplored]

Thanks! I'm just walking around Westlands on Google Street, you're right, defo looks sketch around the community centre, some interesting housing, I'm adding it to the list of places to go to!

[@DeanG85]

Westlands don’t touch these areas. I wound put winyates redditch and maybe few other estates and Elgar avenue, malvern above Westland’s droitwich for being rough. Although it may catch up in the long run. The only place in the midlands I actually avoid though would be lye on way to merry-hill and parts of birmingham.

[@DeanG85]

@@ukexploredread comment above

[@seagreentangerine2065]

Dudley Town has a very beautiful centre full of historical houses, there are hundreds of trees on the approach from Coseley and it has a lot going for it. Some private investors have already seen this and have bought up the georgian/edwardian/victorian gems in the area, and these ARE expensive. The Wrens Nest area is already being gentrified - you can see many houses have been pulled down and renovations happening to once council owned properties. It's actually very pretty around the areas you have shown in the video, Wrens Nest has a nature reserve which you didn't show and a thriving social community which is just up from the Aldi - and opposite the very pretty new private housing estate that you also failed to show... There's a massive new village being built too between old Coseley and Dudley which will have its own shops, dental, GP surgeries etc. The money generated from this is owed to dudley Council and will be ploughed back into the town projects. And last but not least, the beautiful and well kept tennis courts in the park which are used even in winter. Dudley is regenerating and if you're not investing here, Coseley, Tipton, Bilston and Brierley Hill, then you're missing out on 8% plus house proce rises per annum and the new TRAM LINK.... I sold my house in West Sussex under 3 years ago and bought a gorgeous new build up here - it'd already gone up 20% and that's because of the tram and beautiful leafy surroundings. The Black Country folk in general are very very warm and friendly - welcoming and have a sense of community, it's one of the last places like this in our country. It's one of the reasons I settled up here and even going to a supermarket you get a chat at the til - that, to me, is what I value and God help us this doesn't disappear from our area 🙏🏻 P.s. I work in a hospital and the Russell's Hall Estate folk are really beautiful souls - old fashioned values x

[@CrimsonCrusader69]

Something that all these places have in common is a high social housing population, the term "Chav" is an acronym for Council Housed Anti-social Vermin.

[@grahamwalls9379]

I live in Halesowen & used to work by Russell’s hall ( before i retired . I had to frequent the area @ night . To go to work . And i must admit . I never really had a problem with the area . There was no more crime there . Than anywhere else in the Borough . A tad unfair there .

[@JohnSmith-ws7fq]

Glad I got out when I did. You'll still find the salt of the earth there, but sadly it only takes a few to ruin an area for everyone.

[@philmcgroin]

It was unfair to point out the closed down leisure centre. This was replaced by a much nicer facility a short walk away.

[@amandashare1281]

Are you referring to the Duncan Edwards centre in New Mill Street? If you are its quite a walk to there from the Dudley Leisure Centre in Wellington Road. Also I went in to have a look round about 6 months ago and for some reason they have mixed changing rooms, no thanks don't fancy seeing a naked bloke in all his glory!

[@philmcgroin]

@@amandashare1281 you'll have to look on the map. Old and new leisure centres are a short walk

[@amandashare1281]

@@philmcgroin Depends on how old you are, I am 70 and I do not feel that this is a "short walk" , which way would you go? Up The Dock , up Stepping Stone Street to the Gypsies Tent, turn right, then turn right into Vicars Street, cross the road into the other half of Vicars Street cross the road, into flood Street, then into New Mill Street!

[@andrewcooper3503]

The something in the water in Wolves, Walsall and Dudley.

[@evandudley7375]

My family left the area 400 years ago, sad to see the place has gone downhill so hard :(

[@markbelsey4003]

My background is from Rubery (South Birmingham)and now I’ve ended up in Dudley as my girlfriend, now wife , lived over here. I can’t wait to get back to south Birmingham area 😢

[@PaulinePalmer-fg5qc123a]

Why ho why can't people look after their homes ..cleanup your gardens and get your rubbish to the tip.

[@eelponna3145]

I lived in Dudley during the 70’s and 80’s. Since that time, and this might sound controversial, but the ethnic makeup of most Blackcountry towns has changed dramatically, and those immigrants brought their behaviours with them. It’s a fact that these people coming in do not care about the type of housing they live in or modernising and looking after their homes. Not all but most. I know some Indian families who have never given their homes a lick of paint in over 40yrs. Yet they drive around in 50k cars!

[@dsean4040]

You need to cover chapel street estate in brierley hill (brierley hill also comes under Dudley) there’s about 9 blocks of high rises and about 15 smaller ones/maisonettes on the estate so you’ll be in your element lol

[@BangaBuseslad]

I'm from Eve Hill originally near Russell Hall. I was from Himley Road back of The Grange Park. Yes it has it's fair shares of crime etc. But I regretted moving to Coseley then Wolvo!

[@kaycresswell6179]

I lived on Russell hall estate for 6 years never had a problem it was a lovely area , originally born & bred from cradley Heath , moved to Cornwall 11 years ago.

[@Bad-wolfe]

I moved to Yorkshire nearly 9 years ago from Dudley after living there for over 40 years. The areas you have listed weren't great a decade ago but seeing them now I'm glad I got out of the place its a massive dump now

[@AdrianRouse-e1f]

Many areas of the midlands were filled with two up two down houses. It was just a part of the industrial picture. People were poor but proud. Even polished there doorsteps weekly. If you dropped litter you got a clip round the ear. . This pride has gone. Littering is the norm. Councils and governments have all had a hand in this collapse. The influx of migrants has not helped. Early migrants took pride in there homes. But this disappeared rapidly. All in all its sad. Will it improve?? I doubt it.

[@sliczman]

Kate's hill is notorious for not being a good place to be after dark or if you don't live there & its just not well looked after either

[@cal28kim]

I found my other half working on the road in Wren's nest some years ago 😂 If I tried to leave they'd never find my body 🤦❗

[@exzotikprime5882]

You missed claughton, buffery, netherton. A lot of shootings in them areas

[@dsean4040]

Yup, I remember the shooting on vale road in Darby end (netherton) about a year ago!! Someone’s house got shot up I think, and over the pap pap bridge into Springfield, then brick house estate and lion farm although them 2 come under sandwell i think.

[@MrAvant123]

I was born in Dudley in 1960. As a child I remember how decent Dudley and also the Russels hall estate was. Decent hardworking people with no sign of grifters and criminal immigrants then !

[@1UPWonders]

Typowa angielska 😂

[@philipvjones397]

Whichever part of SE London has the highest rate of ULEZ camera vandalisation would be a "good" place to visit. As a rule, I try and avoid SE London. Keep up the good work. Is there a link to make a donation to buy you a coffee or something? You guys deserve some support for this undertaking.

[@ukexplored]

I can't believe how many of those cameras go missing! There is a very good chance we will go London way next week as it happens. That's very kind of you to offer a donation, you don't have to, of course, I did a link to the bio/about page for coffee donations though ☺

[@philipvjones397]

@@ukexplored Will have a look. best.. as for the cameras, it doesn;t surprise me that SE london is the hotspot for damaging them.

[@kirk9363]

Vandalising the cameras has my full support.. The government found a way to tax clean air and penalise the average man.

[@user-hg4cp7bk4l]

Do remember beaties the toast was gorgeous every Saturday morning with my mum the market was always booming great days

[@theabandonedhunter3604]

I can’t believe I haven’t watched this one until now. The Blue Submarine is a fantastic Chippy, the battered chips are superb! I live in Worcestershire these days and there is no chippy round here like that! I have known people on Milking Bank around the corner and there are some fantastic properties on there. Top video …. Smithy

[@ukexplored]

😃 Thanks, yeah it's those little things that stick with you -- like trying battered chips for the first time -- ha, I have friends in Worcestershire, they're always saying I should check out Dines Green and Brickfields. 😀

[@theabandonedhunter3604]

@@ukexplored yes mate, do a quick tour of Westlands in Droitwich to whilst around the area. Just watched the Tipton video as well… top videos!!!

[@monacophotographyevents2384]

Grim places like this, and council estates, appear to always have a Spar supermarket. Presumably, Spar targets lower, and underprivileged areas?

[@Siegetroll]

I live in Kate's Hill and I've seen some sights. My neighbour has practically turned his house into a fortress to deter burglars.

[@johndavies7782]

this is the result of the do gooders that say anyone going to prison has rights so you put them in prison give them home comforts and let them go back and carry on were they left off. how hard is it to put these people in prison give them nothing at all hard times so they never do crime again this will clean the towns and cities up

[@electronicearnings]

At 1:40 I swear that gorilla used to be in Barry Island in Wales

[@Talus-hallux1]

And Russell's Hall hospital is probably the worst hospital in the entire NHS in terms of the doctors and care! And BTW, I am a recent subscriber and am compelled to make two observation in your videos. 1 Your videos always seem to show doom and gloom around the UK! Is that deliberate? 😆 2. The roughest and most crime ridden areas in the UK, do not seem to have the lowest prices, proportionate to their 'unlivable status'! I did not mean to criticize the motive behind your vids, but just being curious! A very long time ago, when my children were young, I remember taking them to limestone caverns via the canal way in Dudley! They were really beautiful and really worth a see.

[@add3to6]

I had to laugh at 3:04 - a garage so neglected a tree has had time to grow in front of it!

[@ukexplored]

yeah, that's hilarious 😂

[@Azrael1st]

I took a Dudley this morning.

[@Budgiearmy]

I am not surprised that Dudley's rough knowing it near Birmingham 😂

[@lucky_duck323]

I used to live near grange park in dudley. Dont get me wrong the ruins, the lake are noce areas but bloody hell the towns a dive

[@Dan-gk5yz]

I live in dudley no wonder i have panic attacks 😭

[@Dan-gk5yz]

@marthasheilds2446 literally

[@MatthewAddis-t9c]

I worked for the council a few years ago and trust me it's not that bad at all compared to a lot of places.

[@jpandyaraja]

Will never forget my time in Eve hill, it was so tragic that it became funny afterwards.There were knife fights everyday,,there was a guy there we used to call " final cut." Even the women loved punch ups lol and joined in

[@dudleyblokerave]

I'm from Kates Hill but the posh part. 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@ukexplored]

ah really, that's cool! I was knackered after walking around for an hour, not used to hilly areas 😂

[@dudleyblokerave]

@@ukexplored You get used to the hills, its Dudley!

[@SarahBall-n8u]

I'm kates hill...can you remind me. Where's the posh part 🤣

[@dudleyblokerave]

@@SarahBall-n8u My house! 😊😊

[@LorraineThompson-wb1mc]

i lived in two of the areas mention on here in the past 6 years, there not that bad.

[@ukexplored]

Glad to hear that. There are worse cities and towns than Dudley for sure, but these are just the worst areas (according to stats) within Dudley. I actually like Dudley as a whole.

[@debeightonethree6346]

@@ukexploredyour inability to extrapolate effectively from data is undermining your content. Not to mention citing sources to make your point but then casting doubt from the exact same source when it doesn’t fit your narrative. Please remember that crime rate stats are not the rate of all crime. A lot of crime goes unreported or un-prosecuted. That said, I’m not from Dudley (pronounced Dudlaaaaay) but it was fun to see some old shot’s place’s of business though!!

[@garymacdonald7165]

Is Buffery Park in Kates Hill?

[@v4mpyLuvr0001]

oh man you should definitely check out Brierley Hill and Netherton, brierley hill flats are awful and the town centre isnt any better

[@ukexplored]

Thanks mate, yeah looking at those areas I'd like to go out and see them in person, I've added them to my list of places to go!

[@5uper5kill3rz]

I moved to the Cotswolds when I was like 8, I’m a massive wolves fan like my dad, it’s just a shame the whole area round that way is so shite

[@thomaswoodall5732]

I grew up in the next settlement along to Lye, Colley Gate. Go check it out…

[@ukexplored]

Just walking around Colley Gate on Google Maps, interesting area, the shops on the main A458 were struggling at the time from what it looks like. I'll pass through it for sure next time I'm going that way.

[@banonkers]

@@ukexplored Tanhouse Estate in the 80s was fun...

[@Samj-l9x]

When do you reckon you’ll do an episode on Birmingham? That’s definitely would be an interesting one to see.

[@ukexplored]

It will be interesting for me too and I want to get deep into Birmingham, within a few weeks I reckon.

[@Samj-l9x]

@@ukexplored all I can say is, just be careful, areas like Handsworth and Lozells are very dangerous places to be alone in (especially if you don’t know the area).

[@ukexplored]

Yeah, I'm mindful of that, thanks. I won't be getting the close up shots walking behind flats and down alleys like I do in some areas!

[@williamraybould8393]

Eve and kate were cromwells daughters 2 cannon's were placed on each hill to distroy dudley Castle so you now have kates hill and eves hill

[@aljo760]

Eve Hill? But I live in Eve Hill and London Heights neighbourhood/area is the best part of Dudley due to it being very peaceful..... I'm so shocked and beyond surprised that Eve Hill is on the list as being one of the worst.

[@ukexplored]

There is often very good and very bad areas within an area too, espeically if it's a large area. But the parts I covered in the video were certainly pretty rough.

[@aljo760]

@@ukexplored I’m sorry you had a very bad experience in Eve Hill, I do not condone the mess that some of the people have left in that area. I do hope you have a better experience in Dudley next time you come.

[@ukexplored]

No need to say sorry! It's partly the residents, of course, but I put most the blame on the government and local councils, they have enough funds and powers, if used correctly, to do a much better job of bringing the country up to standard.

[@aljo760]

@@ukexplored True point on that.

[@Kaya84903]

Yall shoukd do the worst school! St james

[@margaret5828]

In terms of housing, what's a HMO?

[@EdMcF1]

House in multiple occupation, or 'HIMO' i.e. divided into flats.

[@JessicaFuller-t2x]

@@EdMcF1 Yeah, and in an illegal way by packing too many people into unsanitary conditions

[@suburbiapheonix7960]

This is what happens when you remove all sense of pride from the native population and drown them in ethnic diversity who will never integrate. Almost all industry has lleft the area resulting in the only work just stiring the existing pot and not drawing new money in. Almost every industrial area is now owned by a 'property developer' and start ups face the big wall of vastly expensive units to work from. You have a council that is focused on building mosques and destroying what is left of our heritage. It is focused on pronouns rather than helping the residents to a better future. The area has a Police force that avoids dealing witth crime hoping the public will deal and when they do finding reasons to charge them instead. You have a health service in the area that is simply too smalll to deal with the population it has and yet functions on the idea of closing wards and limiting access to avoiding actually treating people. Bear in mind the NHS and the Council are the biggest employers now in the area.

[@SaraMommyof3]

Notorious Bradford road in Woodside, we all say it here where you don’t need a tv because it all happens outside including road rage where drivers smash each others cars up, armed police sealing off the road, a women stripping off with boobs popping out, never a dull moment!

[@devilzwishbone]

The leisure centre filmed is bordered up as dudley was building a new one (which is now completed) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXOomIZ-drp-epIsi=tSlFzr7zQL37Qltm

[@ukexplored]

Thanks, looks awesome - That's what the people of Dudley deserve!

[@devilzwishbone]

@ukexplored you can find out more in this video as to what's happening kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIDai3uXhNKomrMfeature=shared But in general (as you filmed 2 areas I've lived in) the area is on par with neigh luring councils, lye is pretty accurate, kates Hill depends what side of kates hill you visit I used to live nearer to Oakham Road which is more uptown as its private owned properties, one part that wasn't covered in your video of kates hill is the recreational Park, which leads to be desires with broken glass, often gas canisters, overflowing bins, and lack of park equipment more of a football and basket ball pitch only) like wise wrens nest is quieter towards the Broadway and whilst you filmed an area which is a new estate of wrens nest I was surprised that was added as runned down as I believe that is a business house related to the warehouse or factory at the back) Some areas that are known for trouble include halesowen, Smethwick, wolverhampton sadly most of the run down is from people refusing to accept that retail has been dying a horrible death for the past decade and a half, and people need to upskill not on fast track courses but university, funding is suffering on most council boroughs as the commercial side is loosing trade, the council has not helped the fly tipping issue by introducing charging and requirement for a permit or licence to use the tip for electricals and as for general waste you must book in advanced and not use a commercial vehicle, there used to be two tips but one has been restricted all together for dudley residents, there quite often scrap men come by to collect waste such as cookers and fridge freezers, bikes etc which is a blessing, as for housing with the cost of living going up, low skilled jobs declining in retail as many go out of business (try to remember 30 yrs ago, e-commerce was rare, so most depended on the high Street, now you can buy from China on ebay or some other country though amazon) so taxation from business as become diluted globally

[@iamphoenix3564]

Poorest areas in Coventry next bro

[@ukexplored]

Yeah, Coventry is on my list of places for the future, I started doing a little research on it already.

[@iamphoenix3564]

@@ukexplored poorest from income 5.Henley green / Woodend 4. Around the city centre in social housing estates 3.Foleshill east 2.hillfields 1. Willenhall That’s what Coventry telegraph claims 👍

[@stevebloomer7027]

Just so we understand: a crime rate is when crimes are reported. A high crime rate simply indicates that more people trust the police to investigate the crime. The poverty level is completely amorphous and means nothing. Someone with a microwave, a mobile phone, and clothes could say they are below the poverty level.

[@ukexplored]

That’s an interesting way to look at it; I’m not sure it has anything to do with ‘trust’, far from it. And, no, that’s not how poverty is determined or defined. It’s based on several dimensions from a households census data.

[@LR-ee2uu]

The area doesn't know where it is. Any area is made good or bad by its people. Put a Queen in a palace and she'll keep it like a palace. Put a pig in a palace and it'll turn it into a pigsty. It's down to personal standards or the lack of them. Some people will spend fortunes on the biggest TV they can get, but ask them to spend money on a lick of paint and they'll plead poverty.

[@harryboy3305]

Some people would choose to buy a new iPhone new car new television and then use a food bank

[@Brummyroadbouncer]

Eve hill is nowhere near as bad as your making out I live in even hill and we do no get a lot of trouble at all

[@ukexplored]

There are good and bad spots everywhere. The crime stats don’t lie though, these are reported crimes. Happy to hear you’re happy there though!

[@robsta1980]

You can thank the cancellation of the 'orange letter day' where binmen in bintrucks would come round one day per year and collect all the junk. Needing to book an appointment at the tip means more rubbish on the streets. People just want to get rid of their rubbish without the need for a car or to pay someone. Bringing back the orange letter day!

[@Budgiearmy]

Wonder why they had huge animal statues

[@ukexplored]

Yeah, that caught my eye as I was passing, I was like, 'did I just see a dinosaur?' 😀

[@Budgiearmy]

@@ukexplored 😂 and congrats on 1.5k subs!!

[@ukexplored]

Thanks, we’re building an army 😁

[@Budgiearmy]

​@@ukexploredlet's try and beat turdtowns

[@thamossop]

Need to try some battered chips

[@Albion89]

What is ( in your opinion) most ugliest big city in England?

[@888ssss]

dudley

[@ukexplored]

That’s a tough one, depends what you mean by ugly. I think I still need to film sole places to find out, like Leeds, Bradford, up that way. What’s the ugliest you’ve seen or been to?

[@Albion89]

@@888ssss I was thinking about bigger but ok 😄

[@888ssss]

dudley has the best cctv to spy on citizens with.@@Albion89

[@Albion89]

@@ukexplored West Yorkshire cities are ugly and big part of buildings from 60 and 70s in central and south England

[@Guccit865]

One word ‘FOREIGNERS’

[@Bingo-zd1gp]

West bromwich Smethwick and Tipton are the poorest and the worst place in the UK

[@SusanSimms-o6j]

Know the state of the world is in decline… but watching this makes me feel so sad….i was born in Dudley…and so proud and love it’s history…but glad I don’t live there anymore….😢

[@888ssss]

dudley has some sweet treats like CCTV and a huge ocuncil.

[@ukexplored]

A huge council eh, I wonder what they get up to 😀

[@888ssss]

mainly getting their investments in to the new housing developemnts they approve early....@@ukexplored

[@philashton]

Have you been caught doing something by their CCTV? 😁

[@888ssss]

stealing panties....@@philashton

[@colsparky651]

These youth little bastards should be given a long prison sentence and not a slap on the wrist

[@vikingodin1986]

The wrenna is sad, it was a good place back in the day but now like everywhere, gone to shit

[@Smarsh99]

John Bonham lived in the flats in Eve Hill. Pensnett is probaly worse than all these areas

[@AnthonyWilliams-ew3wp]

Last year I traveled from Norfolk to Worcester to watch my horse run in an evening meeting. My sat nav had a mental breakdown and I found myself in Dudley. Bloody hell, I thought I had entered a time warp of decayed sixties Council housing and rubbish everywhere. I kept my windows up.

[@jimmydickson8854]

These tower blocks don’t work knock them down, unemployment dosnt help,too many people in Britain it’s broken

[@Sarfaraz30]

Looks worse than Beirut 😞