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Life in the UK’s most impoverished town: Beggars earn more than market traders

TL:DR – “Life in the UK’s most impoverished town: Beggars earn more than market traders”

• Walsall declared Britain’s most deprived town in the 2025 Good Growth for Cities Index.
• Residents liken it to a “real-life Shameless” with increasing crime, gang violence, and drug issues.
• Once thriving, the town now suffers from rising unemployment, boarded-up shops, and homelessness.
• Locals report feeling unsafe, especially at night, with some claiming beggars earn more than workers.
• Council officials claim ongoing transformation efforts are underway to improve the area’s situation.

‘We live in UK’s most deprived town – beggars make more than market stall traders’ | News UK

Britain’s most deprived town has been named as Walsall – and people who live there say the area is like living in a ‘real-life Shameless episode’.

The Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index 2025 named the Black Country town, once the centre of the UK’s leather industry, as having the worst quality of life.

Some have said it’s akin to living in a ‘war zone’, with many too scared to leave their homes at night due to gang violence and drug addiction.

Residents say the town, which used to boast major retailers and independent stores, had steadily declined over the last 20 years due to many factors, including rising unemployment and a lack of investment.

Daniel Briars, 40, said: ‘I know a lad who runs a market stall and some days he takes home less than £100. I’ve spoken to homeless people who earn more than that by begging outside Spoons.’

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One person, who lives on the Blakenall estate – previously dubbed Britain’s roughest – said Walsall deserved the moniker as the worst place in the country.

High levels of homelessness have also struck the city (Picture: SWNS)

High drug usage and crime rates have turned many away from the town (Picture: SWNS)

‘I’ve been here 40 years, it used to be okay, but now it’s gone so much downhill. It’s rubbish and drugs which are the issue. The council and police aren’t interested in us,’ he explained.

‘The fire engines are here a couple of times a week as the kids keep setting stuff alight. It’s scandalous; no wonder no one wants to live here. This is worse than Shameless; it’s honestly terrible here.’

Walsall was also named the second least healthy high street and third worst job market in the country, according to the study.

The Good Cities Index is based on a city’s economy and says the town struggled more than anywhere else for growth in the past year.

Some residents said they wouldn’t dare go to the town centre (Picture: SWNS)

Allan Sharratt said the town used to thrive – but has gone downhill (Picture: SWNS)

The list is based on 12 different categories, including job availability, skill level of the working population and housing affordability.

One market trader, who would only give his name as David, added: ‘I was born in Walsall and it’s gone downhill. It’s in a state, full of drinkers and beggars.

‘A lot of people have stopped coming, especially old people; they get frightened to come to the town. People here don’t want to work; they get their payments and just pinch from the shops.’

Alan Sharratt, 79, grandad-of-two, a retired retail worker, said: ‘It used to be a fantastic thriving town, but now there are more empty shops than being used. It’s a shame.

‘When I was at school in the 50s, it was a thriving area. There was a market in the town centre, and you could buy anything you wanted to.’

Alan said he thinks unemployment is what’s causing many of the town’s issues, but says he doesn’t even know what the town centre is like anymore, as he wouldn’t ‘dream’ of going there, given all the crime.

High street shopper Sam said she was moving to Poland to escape the area after claiming she felt unsafe on the streets.

Community workers Andrew and Jayne, both 38, said a lack of amenities and violence in the area made the result unsurprising.

Andrew said: ‘You’re more likely to get caught up in knife crime here than 90% of the UK. There are not as many amenities as in other areas, and it has one of the highest council tax rises.’

Jayne, who goes into schools to teach first aid, said Year 6 students were having anti-stabbing ambassadors come speak to them at the age of nine or ten.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council, defended Walsall.

‘The challenges we face are not unique, but what sets us apart is the determination and ambition that’s driving our transformation and creating positive change,’ he said.

‘We continue to work to raise Walsall’s profile regionally and nationally to secure much-needed investment. Transformative projects are already underway, delivering much-needed infrastructure and opportunities.’

Man detained on murder suspicion after a woman in her 40s found dead in street

TL:DR – Man detained on murder suspicion after a woman in her 40s found dead in street

• A woman in her 40s was found injured in Catherine Gardens, Thorpe St Andrew, and later declared dead.
• Police responded to the incident shortly before 11.45pm on Saturday, prompting a murder inquiry.
• A man in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre.
• Yarmouth Road is closed for investigation; police believe the individuals were known to each other and are seeking further information.

Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman in her 40s dies in street | News UK

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was left injured in a Norfolk street.

Officers were called to Catherine Gardens, Thorpe St Andrew, just before 11.45pm on Saturday, to reports of an injured woman. The woman, in her 40s, was declared dead at the scene, launching a murder inquiry.

A man in his 60s has now been arrested on suspicion of murder in Dereham Road, Norfolk Police added.

He is currently in custody at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre.

Yarmouth Road is closed from the junction with Pound Lane to the junction with School Avenue while inquiries are carried out.

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Detective Superintendent Stacey Murray, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘We are in the early stages of this investigation, working to establish the sequence of events which led to the woman’s death.

‘However, we do believe this to be an incident in which both parties were known to each other.

‘We would urge anyone with information that could help the investigation, whether it concerns the incident itself or the events leading up to it, to get in touch.’

Emotional survivor of Bolton car accident shares experience from hospital | News UK

TL:DR – Emotional survivor of Bolton car accident shares experience from hospital | News UK

• Georgina and Tom Daniels were severely injured in a crash in Bolton caused by speeding teenagers.
• Four individuals died, including three teenagers and taxi driver Masrob Ali.
• The couple faces an uncertain recovery requiring extensive medical care.
• A GoFundMe page has been created to support the survivors with expenses not covered by insurance.
• Georgina advocates for improved road safety and reflects on the tragic loss of lives due to reckless driving.

Tearful survivor of Bolton car crash speaks from hospital bed | News UK

A couple in the back of a taxi involved in a high-speed crash have spoken of their long, challenging road to recovery.

Muhammad Danyaal, 19, Farhan Patel and Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, both aged 18, and taxi driver Masrob Ali, 54, all died after their two vehicles crashed in Bolton last Sunday.

The three teenagers were inside a red Seat Leon when it collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso, which was being driven by Uber driver Masrob, on Wigan Road at around 12.45am.

Still in her hospital bed, Georgina Daniels, 28, told UK News through tears: “I can’t fathom how we’re all still alive – it should have taken our lives.

“I have no idea how we’re all still here after seeing what happened to everyone and the state we are all in.”

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George and her husband Tom, along with two of their closest friends, were injured in the crash in Wigan Road, Bolton. (Picture: GoFundMe)

Alongside her in the taxi was her husband, 29-year-old sales manager Tom Daniels, whom she married seven months ago.

Both are still in hospital with devastating injuries.

“We’ve basically always lived together – even when we didn’t have our own place, we would pack bags and stay at each other’s mum’s house for three or four days at a time,” she said.

“We’ve never been separate for too long. Now it’s our first year of marriage and we are going to have to live apart with life-changing injuries, with no end date.

“My legs are okay but my other injuries are going to need 24-hour care, but Tom now has major mobility issues, especially using stairs. We will both need 24-hour care for a long time.

“All of the recovery, rebuilding, the things we will have to get over. And we will have to do it apart. It’s cruel. There are no words to describe it.”

The wreckage of one of the cars that killed three friends and a taxi driver (Picture: Phil Taylor / SWNS)

Muhammad Danyaal, 19, Farhan Patel and Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, both aged 18, and taxi driver Masrob Ali, 54, all died after their two vehicles crashed in Bolton in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The three teenagers were inside a red Seat Leon when it collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso, which was being driven by Uber driver Masrob, on Wigan Road at around 12.45am.

Footage revealed the Seat Leon allegedly reached 120mph on a residential road just 24 hours before the collision.

Footage published online by Narkos Performance Tuning shows a car, which has the same number plate and detailing as the Seat Leon, being modified to go up to 410 Brake Horsepower (BHP) and 550 Newton-metres (Nm) torque.

This is almost double the average specifications of the model Cupra made in 2013 – which is when the vehicle was first registered – which are usually sold at 261 bhp and 350 Nm torque.

These modifications allow for more engine output and quicker acceleration behind every turn.

A picture seen by UK News also shows one of the teenagers who was killed in the crash, Mohammed, standing with the ‘souped up’ vehicle.

Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18, also known as Jibril, was driving his souped-up Seat Leon in Bolton, Greater Manchester

UK News has cross-referenced the reg plate of the ‘souped up’ vehicle with the car Mohammed is standing next to and a photograph from the fatal scene, and they all appear to have the same number plate.

Georgina added: “There needs to be road safety realisations, but that should have been done much earlier. This kind of danger can’t just be acceptable, where you just say ‘watch out.’

“When people drive like that, it’s done for attention and status. It needs to be that, collectively, everyone doesn’t give it any attention or status. It just needs to be that it doesn’t happen.”

Mr. Masrob, who was described as ‘a safe driver’ by his daughter, was driving a passenger at the time of the crash.

Georgina said: “[Mr. Ali’s death is] devastating in itself. It was just a short journey and he was nothing but lovely to us.

“I have read as much as I can about him, I know he had a family, and that people really loved him.

“Lives have been lost, lives have been changed. We can never take this back, it will stay with us for the rest of our lives.”

Georgina said: “[Our outcome] changes every single minute. We have both got so many different injuries, we can’t make one decision without looking at the rest.

“We have no expectations; we are just living hour by hour.”

A GoFundMe statement read: “Between the passengers, they have sustained severe and life-altering injuries, including serious internal injuries, injuries to the brain and unimaginable trauma.

“The road ahead for all of them is long, uncertain, and deeply challenging, requiring extensive medical care, time, and support.”

If you would like to contribute, head to the GoFundMe here.