Southend-On-Sea: I Could Sense Trouble

I wasn't going to upload this video but having seen all the trouble in the town recently I thought it might be of interest.
As I mentioned in the video, there was a large presence of police and security so maybe they knew something was afoot well before it started.

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[mannymac]

Imagine how happy, healthy, rich and technologically advanced humanity could be if greedy, short-sighted narcissistic sociopaths didn't run the world.

[markstevenson]

It’s called Broken Britain.
That’s why I venture out into the sticks away from this type of life

[neiltully]

I was born in Southend, it was a lovely place to be a kid, but then foreign holidays kicked in and it all changed, it’s very difficult for our seaside resorts to compete. Southend like everywhere in the UK over the past 20 years has changed and sadly not always for the better…

[johnmartin]

Hello James I have lived in Southend for 50 years and have seen the changes that in my opinion are not for the better. The large police presence is due to drug wars. The type of day tripper now days is a certain type and they usually come to stab, machete or shoot a rival dealer. Fortunately they are killing or beating their own type and on the whole locals rarely get caught up in the crossfire.

[Old-Basil]

Have your house burgled or your property damaged and you get a crime number... Have your sand castle kicked down in Southend-on-sea and you get armed back up
😂😂😂 Good video James 👍

[MC-emmcee]

Lived in Southend all my life, for nearly 60 years. It has alway been a bit shabby but when I was a kid (even into my teens/early twenties) it was an OK place to be entertained and have a day out, even for the locals, and it was generally safe. It has now turned into a very tacky place and the majority of people you see during the day along the seafront are from out of town. Even the High Street is dead of any decent shopping. Southend had deteriorated a lot in the last 30 years and the place is now full of drug lords and their pushers... and there are plenty of customers. Violence is the order of the day in a lot of areas and mugging is a real threat. The city centre is a no go area at night where you will only encounter p*ssheads, druggies, ne'er-do-wells and people society has cast aside. Anti-social behaviour is as common as there is feral pigeons and seagulls, and there are an awful lot of feral pigeons and seagulls.

[ChrisClark-sq]

I live 20 mins from Southend (very rural)and love lots about Southend When you visited, unfortunately, Southend had been visited by a gang that recently terrorised Oxford Street London. It’s an easy trip from London. The Police presence was to deter any bad behaviour and now everything has calmed down. It’s not perfect but much loved by some of us…visit Leigh on Sea, ten minutes along the road…stunning

[richietaylor]

To be fair to Southend, he’s only taken a walk up and down one road (and one pier). It’s a city (since 2022) of 180, 000 so you can’t really compare it to Skegness (21, 000) or Cleethorpes (38, 000). The total urban population is even higher as it spreads into the surrounding districts of Castle Point and Rochford. As with any big town or city, there are parts that are nice and others that are not so nice. I’ve always loathed arcades, so I was never a fan of that particular part of the seafront. And, although I have seen a decline from afar (I moved away around 12 years ago having grown up there), Southend has a lot more to offer than just this section of the seafront, which only looks worse because he’s happened to turn up on a pretty rubbish day weather-wise (Southend is actually one of the driest towns in the country) There are far better stretches of coast, if he’d walked a little further beyond the Sealife Centre he’d have seen far better ones, especially if he got as far as Thorpe Bay and Shoebury East Beach.
As for the prices, well, who was surprised to hear a northerner complaining about prices down South…you’d think they’d see it as a good thing: just remember that you only have to live with them briefly, when you see what we have to pay everyday, it should make you appreciate how lucky you are up North!
Finally, the police situation is one those things that no one can ever win: decrease their presence and you’ll have people complaining that the police are useless and nowhere to be seen, meaning the town is unsafe; increase their presence and people will will say that it signifies lots of crime in the area, hence the need for so many… therefore it must be unsafe. But claims of out of control crime and especially ‘no go zones’ are just rubbish, which I’ve heard people say about many different towns and it’s almost always an exaggeration. The world didn’t become more violent, it just became more televised. Television then became 24 hours, meaning that you now hear about incidents you wouldn’t have necessarily heard about before. They have to fill all that airtime, and listening to it can give the impression of that UK towns are under siege. Yes, crime happens. But we’re not on the way to hell in a hand basket quite yet.

[paulkoval]

I was bought up in Essex and my childhood was the early to mid 1960's. Back then seaside towns like Clacton, Walton and Southend seemed wonderful. As soon as I could travel independently I discovered the beauty of the Suffolk Coast with towns such as Woodbridge, Aldeburgh and Southwold. Dodgems, Candyfloss and Whelks and slot machines had no hold over me anymore.
Maybe I wasn't alone and that's one reason why Sarfend is clinging on to ever diminishing returns.
Maybe they'll one day realise that to keep doing the same thing over and over with the same results is a type of madness.

[Dom-scih]

Looting started in London last week all arranged on TikTok and then spread to Southend I heard. Country’s on its arse. Great video.

[dorsetcyclist]

I think a lot of seaside towns are becoming a bit run down these days. Bournemouth, my home town has /is becoming that way. Shops closing, rising crime and just looking unpleasant. Take care James, all the best.

[ericg]

Hi mate. Used to go to Southend regularly as a child. Was great back then, but recent visits have shown it's fallen on hard times and not worth much visit. Being an hour or so train ride from east London with absolute shitholes like Barking or Ilford means it's become basically London-on-Sea. Surprisingly, Leigh on Sea a few stops before is fairly nice for a short brief visit

[gmc]

Is there anywhere in this country that has changed for the better during the past five to ten years.

[tonygriffiths]

Sign of the times with the Police and security. It was interesting to hear your opinion of us down here. I'm a Southerner, I did a TOPS course up in Hull 1975 to 76. I was blown away by the friendlinees of the folks up there and of course the fish and chips, cooked in beef dripping. Half a whale and a bucket of chips for 39p. Amazing and very nice. Have you been to Nellys of Beverly ? If they are still open, a pub that realy must not be missed. Thanks for your input, you are a very polite man and enjoyable to listen to thanks :)

[pam]

All our seasides are tired looking, grubby and all need a revamp but government will not help to busy paying for other countries welfare.

[gavinluckyfq]

Stumbled across your vid, From Southend-on-Sea mate, yes lot of trouble in Southend the past year with kids coming in from London... Great video mate 👍

[tupelomiss]

Being a lass from Somerset but currently living
East.took a trip to clacton on sea spent an hour looking for something open to eat .but ended up walking into a venue whilst thinking it was a good place to eat but actually ended up walking in on someone’s wake.I have never been so embarrassed in my life. Oh my days.

[paulcarroll]

I’m quite impressed with the changes in Southend. When I last went it was a complete dump. Police presence is reassuring. I’d pay another visit after seeing this video…Thank you for this review video..

[stephenhaggis]

Hi James, Clacton and Southend were worth a visit 40 years ago but unfortunately as with many coastal towns they are a little shabby, if the tide was in and the sun was shining it would look a bit better
I went to Butlins Clacton in 1958 andI thought it was absolutely brilliant, safe journey
Steve Haggis

[andyrichmond]

Absolutely brilliant sir. You are a breath of fresh air. I had one holiday there in 1977 aged 15. It was a safe and happy place and we wondered around for days on our own without any drama. Sad how the uk is financially diminished. Too much cash stashed under the beds of the rich lol. Looking forward to your next adventure.