ONCE a promised land for retired Brits, Eastbourne is now overrun with zombie addicts and sleazy drug dealers.
The lovely seaside town – famous for its gilded pier and vast pebble beaches – is the latest area to be ravaged by the scourge of thugs ravaging the UK.
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District drug gangs have ravaged Eastbourne, say cops Credit: Chris Eades
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View from the waterfront of Eastbourne, once a popular retirement town of around 100,000 Credit: Alamy
Just last month, officers jailed three kingpins who have been pushing crack cocaine and heroin in East Sussex for more than a decade for 17 years.
But a lingering drug supply fueled a crime frenzy just steps from its idyllic shores.
Official figures show Eastbourne’s crime rate is two per cent higher than the national average.
It also placed among the 10 most dangerous areas of the 108 villages that make up the region.
Tommy Powell, a local bartender, is still in and out of hospital after falling victim to a horror attack while on the job.
In November 2022, he took a customer out of the Blue Bar Cafe, who later returned and threw poisonous “acid” in his face.
This caused severe blistering on Tommy’s face and damaged stem cells.
Unfazed by the incident, he told The Sun that the Eastbourne community had suffered a spate of escalating violence.
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Local barman Tommy Powell after having an ‘acid’ substance thrown in his face Credit: Sussex News & Pictures
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The woman was photographed passed out in a flower bed in a local park Credit: Chris Eades
Tommy said: “I’ve lived here all my life but the crime and drug addiction has gotten progressively worse over the last few years.”
The slaughter ‘unbearable’ for the local population
Our shocking pictures show families trying to enjoy the last days of summer as vagrants block the entrances to beach huts on the coast.
A few blocks back on Seaside Road, a group of heroin addicts linger outside an abandoned house with broken windows.
On the same notorious stretch, several men sip drinks on the street in the early morning while a woman lies unconscious in a flower bed.
Patty, a middle-aged woman who has lived in Eastbourne since 1975 and did not want to be photographed, told The Sun these scenes were becoming commonplace.
“This used to be a beautiful place. It was advertised as the perfect place to retire,” she sighed.
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Locals chat early in the morning as one man gets stuck in a beer can Credit: Chris Eades
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The town is littered with hotels, pubs and board shops Credit: Chris Eades
“But now there are so many places covered with boards, abandoned houses and rubbish everywhere.
“And you have to keep your eyes open because there is more and more violence on the street.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, by July 2022 there were 9,145 reported crime incidents. Those figures were up by 738 on the previous year – with more than a third involving violence.
Eastbourne has also seen an increase in knife crime this year.
In one weekend in August, local officers conducted 13 street searches and three vehicle stops – seizing firearms, boxers, 15 blades and arresting nine people.
‘Even grandmothers sell drugs’
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Eastbourne drug den raided by officers Credit: Eastbourne Police
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A local drug dealer was arrested after the attack. Credit: Eastbourne Police
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Adrian Pendley was charged with possession of a Class A drug in January and jailed for five-and-a-half years as part of a local investigationCredit: Sussex Police
Sussex Police Detective Chief Constable Till Sanderson specializes in breaking up major drug networks in his county.
He told The Sun that coastal towns were disproportionately affected by county boundaries.
Eastbourne is a very nice and safe town, Sanderson said. “However, being reasonably sized with a population of over 100,000, it has its own drug base.
“In the last 20 years, the local supply of medicines has changed and definitely increased.”
The main drugs prevalent in the area include cannabis, powder cocaine, crack and heroin.
Eastbourne was also particularly vulnerable to “crowling”, according to officers.
People usually profile these dealers as teenagers, but County Lines can include a range of people… we’ve even seen grandmothers selling drugs
Detective Chief Till Sanderson
The term refers to when gangs take over a vulnerable person’s property and use it as a place to run their business.
Out-of-town drug lords typically prey on residents suffering from substance abuse, mental health issues, learning disabilities or loneliness.
They befriend tenants and then promise them drugs or money in exchange for the use of their property.
Sanderson said: “People usually profile these dealers as teenagers, but County Lines can involve a range of people… we’ve even seen grannies selling drugs.
“It took a myriad of enforcement tactics to tackle these criminals, including high visibility, aircraft clothing patrols, phone analysis, gag orders and more.
“We have had a decade of good success, but there are always challenges because criminals are not idiots and will always look for a way out.
“But right now we’re providing a better structure than ever before and we’re much more aligned with drug harm reduction.”
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Abandoned house on Seaside Road
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Around 25 per cent of Eastbourne’s population is aged 65 or over Credit: Chris Eades
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The seaside town of East Sussex is a popular summer holiday destinationCredit: Getty
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