IT is the oldest city in Wales, boasting a stunning Victorian pier, a 1,500-year-old cathedral and a respected university.
But Bangor recently received an even more unwelcome accolade, after being named the UK’s worst resort in a new survey.
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Bagnor has picked up the unfortunate accolade of worst resort in the UKCredit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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Once a bustling city centre, the high street is now full of shuttered shops Credit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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Tire technician Nathan says the place is a ‘dump’Credit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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Abandoned high street buildings are being turned into cannabis farms Credits: Delivered
Located less than an hour from Snowdonia National Park, overlooking the Menai Straits, the North Wales town has been ravaged in recent years by rampant drug gangs and a high street struggling to stay afloat.
It came last out of 100 seaside towns in the Which? survey, with just 42 percent of the 700 people surveyed giving it support.
It’s an admission shared by local residents, with some insisting its problems are similar to those of many other towns across the UK and others agreeing the city center has become a dilapidated ghost town.
Nathan Griffiths, 25, a tire technician, said: “A real hole. It went downhill for years. It’s a dump in the center of town.
“I don’t feel safe going out here.”
Dewi Rees, 55, said: “It’s been going down for 20 years. It’s a shame it went downhill.”
The engineer sits outside a cafe on the main street, which is made up of clapboard shops and barely has any people.
Dewi added: “There is a lack of investment, the shopping park is outside the city and property prices are too high.
“There is a lot of work here, but unfortunately, it is spread out. We have a dock and nice places out front.
“But unfortunately people don’t see that when they come to the high street.”
A lovely seaside town has been named one of the worst in the UK
The retail park just a few miles from the center attracts shoppers from across North Wales.
But the high street is a mess, with clapboard buildings and most of the national retailers long gone.
Since the pandemic, the mall has been an incredible 80 percent empty as the high street struggles to get back on its feet.
The closure of Debenhams in 2021 has sounded the death knell for the high street.
But things could be looking up as bakery Greggs has signed a deal to take over a unit in the town’s Menai center – for ten years.
Culture, cathedrals and drug lords
Bangor has a rich cultural history, with a university founded in 1884, which was partly funded by quarries helping to defray costs. Today, its marine science department is admired worldwide.
The cathedral in the city of Gwynedd is where the singer Aled Jones once made his name. The current bishop, Andy John, is also the Archbishop of Wales.
Unfortunately, the high street – said to be the longest in Wales – tells a different story, with Albanian drug gangs snapping up vacant lots to brazenly run clandestine cannabis factories.
There have also been complaints of drug dealing in nearby Caernarfon Street, where many famous high street names have moved into new shops.
Just last month, two men were jailed for their role in running a cannabis farm, claiming they were forced to work after being brought in illegally.
That’s a ***hole. It went downhill for years. I don’t feel safe here
Nathan Griffiths, 25, tire technician
The factory where they were caught was valued at £730,000 and Albanian nationals Fatjon Tarja, 32, and Indrit Balliu, 31, were caught trying to escape.
The property used to have a restaurant on the ground floor, but it was converted into a four-story facility that housed 700 cannabis plants and all the equipment needed to grow them.
Both were sentenced to one year and eight months in prison each, with a minimum of ten months in prison.
It was the first of two raids in 2023. The second found cannabis being grown on three floors of a house in Caernarfon Road.
The officers said that they are determined to root out all the criminals who are taking up residence in the city.
At the time, District Inspector Ian Roberts said: “Bangor will not be a base for organized illegal activity.
“The businesses and partners of Bangor who work hard to develop the city do not want this, the public will not tolerate this, our team will do everything within their legal powers to prevent this and prosecute the perpetrators through the criminal justice system.”
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Residents say the shopping district has been in decline for decadesCredit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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Debenhams closure sounded the death knellCredit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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Drug kingpin Paul David Williams continued to run his empire while in prisonCredits: Submitted
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Stephen Jones believes more should be done to rejuvenate the city Credit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
Drugs have been a perennial problem in the city for decades, despite police efforts to catch and stop the supply.
The kingpin who was jailed for his crimes in 2010 was found to still be running his operation from a prison cell.
Paul David Williams, 48, used phones smuggled into the prison to run operations back in 2013, allowing him to flood Bangor with Class A drugs.
He served nine years for his role as a gang leader in the city, but the cops didn’t realize he was still running his operation from the inside.
‘Worse places’
Despite its crime problems, many locals still love their home and are angry that it has been named the UK’s worst resort.
In fact, one resident thinks it shouldn’t be listed at all.
Cafe owner Oliver Yates, 44, said: “I wouldn’t call Bangor a seaside town. There is no walkway.”
He added: “There is a lot of room for improvement. The main street has changed from what it used to be and I don’t believe it will go back to how it was before.
“No small independent company can fill the void left by a large company.
“It’s bad in Bangor. I’m a realist. We are very lucky, we are very busy.”
History of Bangor
The town’s name means “braided fence” in Welsh, meaning it was named after the walled area that originally surrounded the site of the cathedral.
In 973, the city became the site of peace negotiations between Iago, ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and Hywel, who had usurped it.
The talks were conducted by Edgar, the English king, who convinced the warring kings to share the rule of the kingdom.
Bangor remained a relatively small settlement until the early 18th century, when it was declared a post town on the way to Ireland.
It then developed a shipbuilding industry and tourism via steamships from the Liverpool docks.
In 1826, the Menai Bridge was built, physically connecting the island of Anglesey to the mainland for the first time.
Until 1848, the city had a railway station, which made it easier for tourists to visit.
In 1893, Garth Pier was opened. It is the second longest pier in Wales and is now Grade II listed.
During the Second World War, Bangor was used to relocate parts of the BBC to avoid a strike in London. The corporation still has facilities in the city today.
Banging the drum for a day trip to Bangor was Frankie Thompson, 38, boss of the perhaps aptly named Miracle Café.
He said: “It’s a nice place. It’s growing again. The town needs some work, love and forward thinking from the council.
“It’s a very friendly, nice place. We have a pier and it’s a great place to stay for visiting Snowdonia.
“We have very good reviews and a lot of regular visitors.
“I’ve been to worse places in Britain. I would disagree that it is the worst seaside town in Britain.
“Come and visit and have fun here.”
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Cafe owner Oliver says he doesn’t think Bangor should be considered a seaside resortCredit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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The town is less than an hour’s drive from Snowdonia National ParkCredit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
Fellow businessman Alex Elliott, 41, doesn’t think Bangor’s problems are unique to its seaside location.
The owner of a phone repair shop said: “All the high streets are suffering just because of the move to the internet and the increasing cost of doing business, especially post-Covid.
“People got even more used to using the Internet for everything and it was more comfortable for them not to go out.
“Places like Llandudno have a nice selection of shops. There is no push to bring them to the high street here. The council needs to do something about it.”
His colleague Matthew Smith, 40, agreed, adding: “Things are better than they were. But in 20 years of business, the last two have been the most challenging.”
‘There’s nobody here’
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The Menai Bridge connects Anglesey to the mainlandCredit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
However, not everyone thinks the poll was wrong.
Stephen Jones, 66, a retired NHS chief, agreed with the Which research. He said: “It seems run down. There’s nothing here. When you think it’s a university town, you’d expect there to be more shops here.
“The good thing is that the university is a fantastic building, the history, and there are the Snowdonia mountains and Penrhyn Castle just down the road. The center is really spotless.
“There’s no one here. It is the absence of customers and other people. There is no crowd and struggle.
“To think it’s the main town in this part of Gwynedd and Anglesey which is overrun with tourists – and yet we have this.”
And mother-of-one Rachel Roberts believes the city’s location means it could have much more to offer.
The 34-year-old said: “There is nothing here. There are nice promenades and piers, but as far as shops go, there is nothing.
“It’s cheesy and shabby and generally dead on the high street.”
Bangor City Council said: “It is disappointing to see Bangor City named as one of the worst seaside towns in the UK. Such rankings often fail to capture the full picture and unique charms that make Bangor City so special.”
The Sun has contacted North Wales Police for comment.
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Bangor’s most beautiful attraction is the pier Credit: fpnw.co.uk©2024
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