The CHEAPEST Town In Britain | "Damp, Grime And DEAD Flies Everywhere!"

I was born in a two up two down rat infested slum and I didn't believe that it would be like this know what it is the last couple of years things have like progressively got worse we have a lot of um people on the streets depressing depressing place to live it's just a joke you know and the council they they don't bother you know and they just thr you off with one story after another a nie of mine she hasn't been paying rent because she's had to use the money to keep with their PS The Damp were in her house and she's now being evicted no one cares uh if you've got housing issues they're not going to do anything about it as long as you're giving them money for rent they're not going to help they're not going to provide any work that you need no matter how many times you get in contact they're not going to do anything about it Burnley a town in the heart of Lancashire which was once at the center of Britain's industrial revolution nestled within stunning views of the penine countryside its textile mills became known around the globe today though it's better known for having the cheapest house prices in the whole of the UK where homes start at just £15,000 for landlords this means bigger returns but behind closed doors we found residents were facing a different reality so look at the stay at the doors I don't want to open the kitchen windows I'm inan I'm in a concrete box I need air and the damp reliable rock bottom prices have seen outside investors snap up whole rows of housing but does that investment come back into the town and its people some families here are forced to choose between a life on the streets or living in houses riddled with rats and mold others are even sleeping in their cars living like this is not good if you've not got an address you've got nowhere you've got nothing this is real Britannia [Music] we're in East Lancashire an area steeped in history and Legend it's the place where the dilapidated meets the developed and the countryside rolls on as far as the eye can see but it's not only the stunning views or the town's Traditions that bring people to Burnley property prices have soared in the last few years with the average cost of a home in the UK currently at £285,000 but in Burnley it's less than half that and we've found the cheapest house in the whole of Lancashire right here up for auction for £15,000 we were told that people were actually living in this property up until a week ago but with walls wet through through with damp Grime and dead flies everywhere it's hard to imagine how anyone could call this home I think there's some droppings some kind of rodent or something still some washing Forevers here before slippers the cigarettes on the window you see the color of the sheets it's completely discolored it feels a little bit damp kind of brown it's just quite difficult to imagine that someone was sleeping in this bed not that long ago I mean in the wardrobe the ties and their shirts are still hang up here I can see why someone might want to buy this as a project but the fact that someone was living here is it's quite shocking really first time buyers here snagged their home for an average of £3,400 that's 10,000 less than last year but still over 20,000 more than 5 years ago to put the reality of burnley's house prices into perspective the average home in Kensington and Chelsea in London is a whopping 1.2 million that's enough to buy over 11 homes here but while plummeting prices means some can get their foot on the property ladder others are having to rely on social housing or charitable organizations to put a roof over their head what is this whole block is is it social housing or is it it's social housing yeah Calico one up here then two other flats on the other other side yeah so it's four in one block that share the same communal area yeah we met with former British Army soldier Derek Morgan who before being given the flat he's in now said he was housed on a road that left him exposed to bullying and even assault it was through um the stepping stone project that I was put on to by the council it took them seven months before I got the Calico property that I'm in now I'm safer because I'm not in area that stepping stone project put me in violence drugs all that I've had to call the police so many times now in an area like barely you don't call the police why is that it's Cas if you call the police you clashed as a traitor I've loing buring most my life and that is the motto so people are getting assaulted mugged you know bullied and they still do call the police well I certainly worked it out the hardware yeah Derek was eventually rehoused by Calico the largest provider of affordable social housing in Burnley they say their purpose is to make a real difference to people's lives but this doesn't ring true for everyone still don't have a key to the front door to get into my property so is it is it just open all the time well no not all the time no sometimes I have to go and sleep at a friends because I can't get in now all the people that lived here have discussed with them and that and they've said they've been complaining to Calico for some time now about the same thing there's no extraction facilities in here there's damp on the bottom of the window still haven't sorted that out they appalling so your ex forces you served in the British army yes how does it feel to be treated like you have been in these living conditions I just felt like I felt rejected you know I've gone to all the services now and asked everyone's help because it's just anxiety depression you know make makes you it's heartbreaking it really is it hurts after we put Derek's claims to Calico the company confirmed they have now fixed the issue with his front door they told us we have been in touch with our customer and taken Swift action to address all of the concerns raised and I am pleased to confirm that the door and window repairs have now been [Music] completed sadly Derek's story is all too familiar and with the cost of living increasing Year on-ear many are struggling to find adequate housing the latest government data tells us that over 2,600 households in Burnley were still waiting for social properties last year and back in March Michael Gove announced the 28 million pound cash injection to turbocharge regeneration and Kickstart new housing schemes in the north and there are clearly new building projects in Burnley yet when it came to housing much of what we saw was far from rejuvenated I was born 80 years ago in a house two up two down which was basically a rat infested slum yeah and I never believe 80 years later we still have these conditions local councelor Gordon bertwistle has lived in Burnley for 41 years and says he wants to change things for the better but it's not easy we desperately need housing market renewal to return to we need massive investment in this area to improve the living standards the health the well-being of the people that live in this area I can show you photographs of a ceiling that collapsed on a young lady's child and when they ra when they rang the land lady who owned it she told them that she had no money so they'd have to live with the hole in the ceiling never mind this poor child that nearly got cut in off with the ceiling falling on it I've heard the situation where if you speak up the the the landlord could serve a section 21 notice on you and have you evicted and when you get kicked out of the house onto the street the family that get moved into an emergency situation now we have two or three emergency situ uh facilities which are one is a converted pub with the family live in one room this is 2024 where the family live in one room with other families who live in the other rooms of the pub with one bathroom one kitchen and that's what they're expected to do you're clearly passionate about this you're a local counselor you were even an MP for 5 years and you're standing for reelection there will be some people watching this saying can't you be doing more to help people well we can only do what we've got with the money the council would happily house these people but they the the council don't own any houses the council we don't have any Council houses but at the end of the day the the problem is so big it's only the government has got got the funds to do it do the people in this area feel like Michael go and his constituents in Sur East where they're all leveled up I suggest that not one of them would say that they feel leveled up the money we need is the leveling up money to be spent on the residential areas of this town to bring the lives back to what I believe is basic never mind what they've got now evictions can sometimes lead to emergency housing and in other cases homelessness since 2021 the number of people sleeping rough has rocketed it's estimated that nearly 4,000 people nationally are on the streets that's a rise of 27% a ban on no fault evictions was originally part of the government's renters form bill which has never passed through Parliament and now due to the upcoming general election has been shelv and those who find themselves on the streets are having to resort to makeshift homes tents and even cars we've got maybe seven buildings here all together and the entire lot of it apart from one which I think is a charity shop is occupied and all the homeless people around Burnley um make them make the way here all the doors at the back and the windows you've got your scff yeah you scuffled and you can walk up to the top and get through the roofs or the top windows but this on an average you've maybe got 10 people of a night maximum maybe 15 20 people this is where we meet Mark he's been living on the streets for most of his life but now he's sleeping in this this is where I live I live in my car these are all my sleeping bags here I've got all my sleeping bags I've got my bags that that's my life two Albanian guys came around and uh they they saw me sleeping in the car and they said to me they said what's happening I said I I do apologize they I said but I'm homeless and uh they went there's the keys keep the car there's all the paperwork it's yours and I was like wow I've just got I've just got a a cclass Mercedes sports grer you know people think that because you're on the streets and you've got nothing to pay and like you know you just have a drink all day and stuff it's not it's not like that at all I mean these people are really at the Rock Bottom you have nothing else to do but drink a lot of people that we speak to say that it's not fair that people are on the streets because there's people coming into this country but you had a slightly different view to that right so basically the Albanian people who give me this car right whoever it is whatever country you come from they're coming to Britain to actually work and it doesn't matter what you get paid they appreciate it whereas the British people they'll say well I'm not working for that after struggling to find housing he turned to church on the street a Faith and Action charity with one very popular local Pastor Mighty mate we call him Mighty mate what a guy he's come from this he's come from where I am now what's an actual inspiration that he is it's it's it's heartbreaking seeing all these people on the street and like I said people are coming to Burnley because of church on the street what would you and other people do if Church on the street wasn't there literally M there's nothing for [Music] us hi Mick lovely to meet you from former drug dealer to people's Pastor Mick Fleming has lived a dangerous life after years of violence and drug use he knows all too well about some of the challenges people in this town can face I uh so from a background of addiction and crime and abuse and I've had a little bit of harm Ness as well thrown in and a lot of trauma and death really at a at a young age and uh I ended up uh you know addicted to substances and alcohol and uh for me it's the faith that's sort of driven what we do now so it's called church on the street cuz that's still where we go but it's where it began you know what are some of the housing conditions like here in Burnley there's lots of damp and and uh unmaintained properties landlords turning the houses into multiple occupancy houses which is a room and a shed kitchen and bathroom the cheapest place to buy houses but you'd think then there'd be uh loads of housing for people would you you think that create more opportunities but it creates portfolios that's what it creates it doesn't mean that the people who need the housing are going to get it it means that investors are going to come and invest in houses to take money from the town which doesn't get fed back into the economy there's a question I think that you know should Charities be picking up the the role that the state should be doing I think for us it's just whether's the problem then maybe that's where we should be as a charity if that affects more than one person then that's good you know but the thinking is for that person in that moment who's struggling the most maybe that's where we put our time and effort and see how it pans out you know as more and more people ared downstairs it was easy to see just how much of a Lifeline Church on the street and its services really are to those in need with the system being the way it is it's quite easy for people who are in some situation without organizations like like this to slip through the net when you slip through the net you're no longer um an issue cuz you don't exist and Sam felt like that when she came here because the system basically had failed her Sam who was once a dedicated stroke nurse sadly suffered three herself which left her with severe speech difficulties yet despite her condition her local Council told her that as a nurse she could manage her own care since moving to Burnley and with the help of church on the street and her friend Paul she found her voice again lot seeing this lot the way they are now is is unreal if you come in when they were first started you'd be sat in and going how's this happened we all know yeah hard work is it yeah hard work wherever we went in Burnley we found that the sense of community was strong and just a short drive away we spoke to another man making meaningful change the Hub ran by ibra Sayed is a One-Stop shop where locals can get support for a whole range of issues so we are kind of the trusted partner they feel trusted they feel valued here when they come in they are open to talk about anything the family issues you know people uh struggling with the uh the income housing benefit disability uh benefits U trying to get into education high education so we deal with all those sort of stuff and this is how you know they tell us a lot of things which they may not share with other people not long after we arrived ibra took us to meet some of the residents he helps in the local area one of them soon to be centenarian Muhammad Hashim [Music] bti ra Muhammad originally from Pakistan devoted 21 years of his life to the British army serving in World War II despite his unwavering commitment and sacrifice the state pension he received has meant daily life is a Relentless struggle Youth Government gave me little money we have two son one daughter one my wife one five people 10 are very C so you sleep here in the I'm sleep here you sleep here you know not for me very poor you know I'm very poor the window Muhammad tells us was smashed when his son got into a fight he also said that another one of his sons is currently serving 18 years in prison for murder two people one my son is fighting my son have little KNE like this going like that in people die my son goes 18 years jail now he in the jail my son [Music] [Applause] wow just a few doors down we meet Muhammad's neighbor Raz and his wife who suffered with severe arthritis meaning she can no longer easily get upstairs in the property they've had to resort to using a toilet outside which doesn't have a roof a door or even a flush the these houses are not so good and she can't um go upstair easily sometime sick sick she get SI sick because of the cold yeah sometime because cold and water raining and it's difficult and ibra shares his frustration saying it's unfair that while overseas migrants are being housed in hotels families like those we met are suffering I'm not against anybody but what I'm saying the people who already here who have contributed to the society and the community uh I think they should be our priority it's hard to believe this is happening in probably top 10 richest economy in the world where we are welcoming people from Ukraine Afghanistan they living in top hotels and the local residents they are faced with this people look after each other here in Burnley and it's that same generosity that once earned the town the title of Britain's friendliest but how do its residents feel about it today a struggle cheers PA take care some people take time to talk to you you know that's what means a lot it's like well most of them just walk past and just ignore you and it means you know when people stop and talk it means you're human did you know uh burnley's the cheapest place to buy a house in the UK at the moment seriously what joke sorry no it's a bit difficult to believe honestly uh I had a friend get evicted just after Christmas boxing day she got an eviction notice cuz he sold the houses to other people everybody everybody knows me and I know everybody in Burnley you sound like Mr Burnley I look I'm passionate about the place where I come from me and everybody gets on and everybody loves each other well I think it's rougher than it used to be everywhere you go you get your n areas and you deprived areas there's not much point in buying a house for 15,000 if you don't want to live there is there yeah there's new hous has been built where I am and they reckon they selling for 50 Grand that's a brand new house wow that sounds incredibly cheap well if you saw how they went up yeah it is life in Burnley certainly has its challenges an affordable property doesn't necessarily translate to Quality living standards yet many people we spoke to love living here plus it's not just the houses that are cheap it's the drinks too for a pint it's 250 but on Monday or a match day home match days it's 2 that's our way of saying thank you to everybody Monday it's 2 p a pint shorts are3 and our local benedic tees 2 so we're pretty cheap so cheap in fact that some of the punters think she should be charging more she should put her prices up by the [Applause] way she should put her prices up and we come to see Sharon because she's an amazing she's the most amazing person in the world because every she involves everybody in everybody problems everything whatever fantastic [Music] in Burnley crumbling and outdated homes masquerade is affordable housing oh my and it can be left for residents to pick up the pieces so what's the solution whether it's building more houses clamping down on failing landlords or extra government support a strong warmth from the community remains There's real hope for the future but will those living here be kept waiting they need to do something and show something out because is a joke if you're private owning and you've got people living under your roofs you need to do something about it you need to look after the people that are living under your roofs whether that's Council or private because there are people getting ill because of the mold or can't even afford to feed the families cuz they're having to fix things that they shouldn't be paying for I've been fighting for this for a long long time and uh unfortunately the government are deatha to things like this I think it's wrong and we we should be getting the major investment to to the council to help us improve this area I think the thing with Burnley is it's an amazing sort of uh Community the town as well and uh people do pull together here you know there's highs and lows there's loves and hates but people on the hall do pull together

Channel: TalkTV

Views: 228,941

Keywords: free speech, freedom of expression, burnley, real britannia, britains cheapest town, uk crime, us crime, poorest place, albanian gang, uk poor, county lines, living conditions, living in a car, outside toilet, uk poverty, dangerous place, social housing, sleeping rough, grime, immigration, veteran, cheapest house, homeless veteran, most dangerous place, cheapest place, murder, burnley news, burnley new manager, lancashire news, investigation, gb news, general election

Id: NUyadG_FlBA

Length: 23min 59sec (1439 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 11 2024