It was once a resort fit – quite literally – for a king.Bognor Regis, on England’s south coast, earned the stately ‘regis’ of its name with approval from no less than King George V, who visited in 1929, in need of fresh air and a place to convalesce.But the last few decades have seen the West Sussex town plunged into steep decline, with its previous boardwalk glory overshadowed by beaches considered unfit for swimming, soggy fish and chips and rapidly rising crime rates; the town sees a staggering 133 crimes per 1,000 people, according to latest statistics.It should come as no surprise, then, that Bognor Regis has been named Britain’s worst seaside town by consumer champion Which? in its annual survey, for the second year in a row.This year’s survey, for which over 5,300 people were consulted, saw Bognor earn a customer satisfaction score of only 41 per cent.The town was awarded just one star in all of the categories employed by Which? bar one, which include ‘Seafront/Pier’, ‘Tourist Attractions’ and ‘Value for Money’.It isn’t difficult to see why it’s ranked so poorly.One user on Google, for example, called their meal at Fish & Chips Café the ‘wors[t] fish and chips I have ever tasted’, with another declaring the establishment ‘foul’. Once the destination of choice for King George V, the past few decades have seen seaside resort Bognor Regis plunged into steep decline Crime rates in the West Sussex town have been rising rapidly, with beaches deemed unfit for swimming and fish and chips described as ‘foul’ by one visitorAnother described the former jewel, Butlin’s, as the ‘worst place on earth’ on Tripadvisor, going as far as to say: ‘Would give it zero stars if I could. This place is the most revolting place I’ve ever stayed. The food you wouldn’t serve to a dead dog.’Perhaps most tellingly, ‘Peace and quiet’ was the only category in which Bognor scored more than one star, earning a meagre two stars.But Bognor Regis is not the nation’s only seaside town that seems to have suffered a severe fall from grace.Blackpool, in Lancashire – once the epicentre of Britain’s beachside brilliance, known for its iconic Blackpool Tower and Pleasure Beach theme park – also found itself in the bottom five of resorts surveyed, with a score of only 46 per cent.The town scored only one star in three categories, including ‘Food and drink’, ‘Scenery’ and ‘Peace and quiet’. Its highest-ranking category was ‘Tourist attractions’, for which it scored three stars.But anyone wanting to visit the town to experience its theatre shows and theme parks may be put off by local accommodation options, 4,146 of which rank ‘Terrible’ on Tripadvisor.In May this year, one user called the Norbeck Castle Hotel a ‘dungeon’, with another labelling it a ‘flea pit’, where the guests claimed they were unfortunate enough to leave ‘in rashes’ – likely on account of the ‘blood stain on the sheets’ and ‘mould in the bathroom’.
Blackpool was once the epicentre of Britain’s beachside brilliance, but today has suffered severe deprivation and decline While scoring three stars for its ‘Visitor Attractions’, Blackpool scored only one star in three categories in the latest Which? survey, including ‘Scenery’Recent celebrity haunt Margate, in Kent, which has been praised by the likes of pop icon Madonna and is home to artist Tracey Emin, also ranked surprisingly poorly in this year’s results.Despite its newfound status as a trendy beachside enclave, visitors commented that its town centre remains ‘run down’, perhaps explaining its one-star rating for ‘Shopping’, and overall score of 53 per cent.But, of course, it was not all bad news – and beach towns in the North of England in particular are continuing to enjoy a moment in the limelight. Despite its newfound status as a trendy spot praised by even global superstar Madonna, vistors to Margate noted that its town centre still felt considerably rundown and shabbyBamburgh, in Northumberland, came top of the rankings for a second year in a row, praised for its ‘lovely beach overlooking Bamburgh Castle’ and earning a top score of 84 per cent.The pretty northern enclave was awarded five stars for its beach, seafront and scenery, the latter of which was called ‘spectacular’ by some visitors.In another victory for the Northeast, Tynemouth in Tyne and Wear came second, scoring an impressive overall destination score of 82 per cent.In addition to its ‘magnificent’ golden sand beaches, holidaymakers also enjoyed its ‘wonderful fish and chips’. Local restaurant Longsands Fish Kitchen earned particularly high praise from one Reddit user, who rejoiced: ‘It doesn’t get much better than this!’ Northumberland spot Bamburgh came top of the ranking for the second year in a row. Visitors had high praise for the town ‘lovely beach overlooking Bamburgh Castle’Commenting on the results of this year’s survey, Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, described the success of the North East as ‘a reflection of its outstanding beaches and the fact that holidays here can be fantastic value for money.He also noted the good geographical spread seen across the top 30 resorts ranked this year, saying: ‘Whether you’re returning to a much-loved seaside town or discovering a hidden gem, there’s something for everyone.’Want to holiday like a travel expert? Get free access to this subscriber article about the best Greek islands to visit (and the worst ones to avoid) when you sign up HERE to the Escape newsletter