Once-thriving seaside town’s downfall as yobs on ‘hippy crack’ take over streets

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    A bustling UK town has been slammed as the worst place in the UK for anti-social behaviour.

    Clacton-on-Sea, a popular resort that once ushered in thousands of visitors from nearby London every year, now boasts a rate of 68 incidents per every 1,000 residents, compared to the UK average of just 17, reports the Sun.

    Residents report the town has recently fallen to ruins with used cans of nitrous oxide – referred to by begrudging locals as "hippy crack" – littering the streets and seafront, and graffiti scrawled across empty shopfronts.

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    Vanessa Bedford, who lives in the nearby town of Frinton, said thugs have attacked her son during his shifts at McDonald's on multiple occasions.

    "He got thrown down the stairs because he refused to give some kids free ketchup," she claimed.

    And Ms Bedford said it's not just her son who's been the victim of vile attacks – the 36-year-old mum said she rarely goes into town now to avoid attacks.

    "I've been threatened with a knife for telling a group of kids to stop harassing an old lady," she said.

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    Last year the town saw a whopping 646 arson attacks, 296 shoplifting incidents and 3,221 violent and sexual offences reported, according to Crime Rate UK.

    Another local, kebab shop employee Alex Evans, said she doesn't feel safe walking home alone at the end of her shifts thanks to frequent fighting, especially at weekends.

    "I've lived here for four years and it's steadily got worse and worse," she said.

    Ms Evans, 37, said she isn't afraid to call the police when things get violent, but added she wished they had a bigger presence.

    Taxi driver Spike Spencer echoed her concerns, adding there was a "nasty atmosphere" around the centre of town.

    "[There is] lots of shouting, swearing and kids chasing women. We don't get a lot of stabbings and stuff but it's just not nice to be in a place you feel frightened," he said.

    Other residents said they wanted to see more police officers performing on-foot patrols of the crime-riddled town.

    The Daily Star has contacted Essex Police for comment.

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