I always find these discussions are clouded by people’s personal prejudice and not really a reflection on quite how bad places really are. That said, and without further ado here are my own -

1. Erith - the single reason people from Thamesmead are left with any pride. The tyre factory has now gone, but until the late 80s I think there were still active lead smelters in the area. There is still an active cooking oil processing plant, and smell it creates is foul. A truly industrial scale karzi with the only redeeming feature it’s proximity to the river, sadly on the opposite side is a landfill site.

2. Slough - I think to the east of the place isn’t that bad, but is mired to the south by Chalvey a suburb built alongside the M4 and to the north is the Northborough estate, populated by some very unfortunate souls, with a good helping of the ignorant and disaffected. The main road through Slough is a nightmare for traffic, and there is a power station in the huge trading estate that takes up the centre of the town, the jewel in the crown of this godforsaken dump.

3. West Croydon, Broad Green, and Waddon - 3 places fused into one continual mass of detritus. A truly filthy and unmentionable abomination split by a Roman road but sharing a common theme of s***e 30’s housing stock, unfortunate housing schemes from every decade post the war, badly designed transport routes cutting the place in 2. A total lack of pride in the place as hollowed it out. The high street in West Croydon is a disaster and that sets the tone for the surrounding streets.

I haven’t spent enough time in other parts to form the conclusions I can muster over the splendid places above. It should be mentioned that there is a common theme to the place above, and that is the abundance of working-class scallies wearing the standard uniform of grey tracksuits and caps, coupled with an above average population of staffies.

Edited by djcpfc (17 Feb 2019 12.49am)

That would definitely have been Willo.

Are you one of those men that wear a suit on Sundays?

Anywhere in the south east is bad.

Kent in particular is deteriorating rapidly. Overcrowded, poor infrastructure and noticeable absence of investment, poor planning ... if indeed they ever had a plan ... they just throw up tatty housing estates anywhere these days.

It's merely regarded as the access point for constant heavy traffic to ferries at Dover and the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone.

Pity any poor bugger that lives here.

Kent has its issues and its fair share of scumbags but I wouldn't move back to South London for anything, unless I could afford to live in very posh private road setting.

I wouldn't consider it at all until my kids were moved out and settled down.

Edited by Hrolf The Ganger (17 Feb 2019 11.35am)

There is Kent and Kent just like there is Sussex and Sussex.Some delightful and salubrious parts in both counties but also parts not so desirable and awash with reprobates.