Most Dangerous Cities in the UK: Why I Cancelled My Blackpool Trip (True Story)

So there I was, scrolling through booking.com at midnight, trying to find somewhere cheap for me and the lads to have a proper weekend. You know how it is. Few beers, a bit of a laugh, somewhere we won’t spend a fortune.

Dave keeps banging on about Blackpool. “Mate, it’s perfect,” he says. “Cheap as chips, bit of seaside, proper British holiday vibes.”

Then my girlfriend pipes up from the sofa. “Isn’t Blackpool really rough?”

I laughed it off. How bad could it be?

Famous last words.

The Google Search That Ruined Everything

Started off innocent enough. Just wanted to check what there was to do in Blackpool. You know, normal stuff. Pubs, maybe a club, somewhere decent to eat.

Instead, I found myself reading crime statistics at half past midnight like some sort of boring person.

Blackpool has 161.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people. That’s not a typo. One hundred and sixty-one point five.

Sat there doing maths in my head. In a town of 140,000 people, that’s over 22,000 violent crimes every year. Twenty-two thousand.

Dave was not impressed when I texted him at 1 am with this information.

Turns Out My Girlfriend Was Right (Again)

The next morning, Proper looked into it. Blackpool sits right at the top when people talk about the most dangerous cities in the UK. Not exactly the chilled weekend we’d planned.

But here’s the mad bit. Blackpool isn’t even the worst overall. That honour goes to Cleveland in the North East. The crime rate there is 132.4 per 1,000 people.

Cleveland though? Never heard of anyone going there for a lads’ weekend. Blackpool’s different. It’s supposed to be fun.

What’s Actually Happening in These Places

Blackpool’s Gone Downhill Fast. Been there before, years ago with my family. It was alright then. A bit tacky but harmless fun. Now? Different story completely.

Economic problems, drugs, antisocial behaviour. The works. Ironic, really. People turn up expecting candy floss and donkey rides and end up dealing with proper crime.

My mate’s brother works as a bouncer there. Says Friday and Saturday nights are mental. Police everywhere, ambulances, proper chaos.

Middlesbrough’s Drug Scene Middlesbrough has a violent crime rate of 142.3 per 1,000. Driven mostly by drug stuff, apparently.

Went through there on the train once. Even from the window, you could see it wasn’t great. Boarded-up shops, groups of lads just standing about looking bored.

Boredom plus no opportunities equals trouble. Tale as old as time.

The Big Cities Are Just As Bad

Birmingham’s Numbers Game Birmingham’s crime rate was well above average for the West Midlands in 2024. When you’ve got over a million people crammed together, small percentages become massive numbers.

My cousin Sarah lives in Handsworth. Always going on about how much it’s improved. “Really nice community now,” she says. But she still won’t walk home from the pub alone.

Says something, doesn’t it?

Manchester’s Two Faces Manchester ranks 8th for violent crime in the UK. Mad because the city centre’s brilliant during the day. Proper buzzing, loads going on.

But my old flatmate Tom got jumped outside Piccadilly station last year. Two in the afternoon, loads of people about. Nobody helped. Just walked past like nothing happened.

Tom’s fine now, but it proper shook him up.

Why Everything’s Gone Wrong

No Jobs, No Hope. Most of these places used to make stuff. Coal, steel, whatever. Those jobs disappeared decades ago. Nothing replaced them.

What do you expect young lads to do when there’s nothing for them? Sit at home playing Xbox forever?

Some turn to drugs. Some turn to crime. Some just get angry at the world.

London Gangs Moving In: County lines operations make everything worse. Gangs from London set up shop in smaller towns. Use local kids as runners. Violence follows the drugs around like a bad smell.

Government Doesn’t Care: All the regeneration money goes to flashy city centre projects. New shopping centres, fancy restaurants. Meanwhile, the estates where people actually live get nothing.

Problem areas stay problem areas because nobody wants to fix them properly.

But Hold On A Minute

Here’s the thing. These places aren’t complete war zones. Millions of people live there without getting murdered every day.

It’s All About Location. Crime happens in specific spots. Know where to avoid, and you’re usually sound. Sarah from Birmingham swears Moseley is lovely. Says it feels safer than half of London.

Timing Matters Most of the proper nasty stuff happens late at night. Usually between people who already know each other. Random attacks on innocent tourists? Pretty rare, even in Blackpool.

Common Sense Still Works Don’t be flashy with your money. Keep your eyes open. Avoid sketchy areas after dark. Same rules that apply everywhere, really.

What I Actually Did

Still went to Birmingham for a gig last month. Just stayed in the city centre, got the train straight back afterwards. No drama whatsoever.

Even convinced Dave to try Blackpool in the end. Went during the day, stuck to the main bit near the pier. Had a right laugh actually. Didn’t feel unsafe at all.

But we definitely didn’t stay overnight.

If You’re Thinking of Moving

Visiting somewhere is different from living there. If you’re thinking about relocating for work or whatever, these stats matter more.

Check specific neighbourhoods, not just city-wide figures. Ask people who actually live there. Don’t just rely on what you read online.

The Real Cost

Every one of these statistics represents someone’s bad day. Someone’s mum is getting mugged. Someone’s dad is coming home beaten up. Someone’s kid is too scared to walk to the shops.

That’s what gets me about all this. Real people are dealing with real problems while politicians argue about funding.

When people ask about the most dangerous cities in the UK, they’re not being dramatic. They’re trying to keep themselves and their families safe.

Can’t blame them for that, can you?

What Happens Next

These cities have serious problems that need serious solutions. Pretending otherwise helps nobody.

But writing them off completely isn’t fair either. They’re home to millions of decent people just trying to get by.

They deserve better than being known only for their crime statistics.

Just maybe do a bit of research before you book that weekend away.