The top 10 worst places to live in England for 2020

When it comes to ranking the worst town in England we’re really spoiled for choice, and whatever list you come up with it’s sure to divide opinion.

But that’s exactly what ilivehere.co.uk has done, and after the roaring success of their 2019 list they’ve come back with the worst places of 2020 – here’s last year’s top 10 in case you missed it.

They asked their audience to vote for the crappest places to live in our glorious country, and the results didn’t disappoint, with a record 80,172 people voting for the top 10 worst towns to live in for 2020.

Gary Overend / Geograph

The list has some big changes from last year, and this time round only one Greater Manchester spot made the list, with Yorkshire making the strongest showing.

Without further ado, here’s the 2020 top 10 in full:

10) Halifax

A new entry for 2020, the West Yorkshire town of Halifax is first on the list. If you’ve not been before, get yourself down to the Acapulco Club (or the Acca if you’re local) when lockdown is over, as it boasts 75p drinks and the stickiest floors in the UK. Some people were less than favourable with their description of the town, with one saying: “I soon realised that I would need an interpreter in Halifax as the locals spoke only in grunts and squints”

9) Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent is up next, with the top 10 shithole regular making a triumphant return after missing out on a spot last year. However, the Staffordshire city probably wished it’d stayed out, as it got absolutely slammed: “It’s like somebody kidnapped every single village idiot in the world, gave them a shite accent and dropped them here.” Ouch…

8) Wakefield

Another new entry and another West Yorkshire spot, Wakefield‘s been hovering around the top 10 for the last decade and has finally broken through –  well done. People didn’t hold back when panning Wakey, with one saying: “I can’t stress how bad this place is. Little 9 year olds telling you to fuck off when you are waiting at the bus stop, 6 people crammed into a small shitty car all with snapbacks on with a smirk-ish grin on their faces, etc etc etc. Need I go on.”

Tim Green / Wikimedia

7) Keighley 

There’s a theme developing here, as our third new entry to the list is also located in West Yorkshire. This time it’s Keighley: “I have never encountered such a depressing, unfriendly and dull place in my life. The more time I spent there, the more I felt I was trapped in some groundhog day loop of repeating misery.”

6) Nottingham

Finally a new entry that isn’t from the West Riding of Yorkshire – Nottingham stormed into the top 10 as a surprise entry, with a last minute surge of voting on the final day catapulting it from shithole obscurity to a respectable sixth spot. Here’s what they had to say: “The most famous street in Nottingham is Forest Road. A quick trip to Radford will beggar belief. Prostitutes stand at every corner and crevice along this god-forsaken road.”

5) Rotherham

South Yorkshire’s Rotherham moves up one spot to fifth this year, with one former resident revealing why they moved away from the town: “After a year of reading headlines in the Rotherham Advertiser like ‘Chip Pan Fire Guts House’, ‘Body found outside Takeaway’ and ‘Asbo Grandad at it again’ I decided I somehow didn’t fit in and moved away.”

Frees / Wikimedia

4) Rochdale

Greater Manchester’s only entry this time round – down from two last year – Rochdale has dropped down one place to fourth. Whoever wrote this didn’t think much of the inhabitants: “The cesspit of the universe, where evolution took a break and told them to breed with their sisters over and over and over.”

3) Huddersfield

After being crowned the king of crap towns in 2018, Huddersfield fell into second spot last year, and has dropped down one further in 2020, only managing third place and a bronze medal. According to one local: “Huddersfield should be avoided by all those who desire to keep their wallets, mobile phones and most of all their sense of smell”, while another succinctly added: “Not all of Huddersfield is bad… just 70% of it.”

2) Doncaster

Doncaster had threatened to make the top ten for years, before finally breaking through last year with a respectable fourth spot. Well, this year Donny has gone two better, rising up to second place and losing out on the crown by a meagre 157 votes – there’s always next year lads. This local isn’t a fan: “A night out in Donny is magical, with bums sitting on steps drinking white lightning near the old Purple Door strip club or the Jobcentre and lovely ladies with near nothing on, looking to volunteer to contribute to Doncaster’s rising pregnancy rate.”

John Winder / Geograph

1) Peterborough

Peterborough has done it again, after taking the number one spot last year as a surprise entry the city has retained its crown as the biggest dump in England. One local says: “The atmosphere in Peterborough is draining. You feel totally isolated from the rest of the world and life in general, as though everything else is going on and you’re not part of it as you’re stuck in this dump”, while another added a word of warning to would-be travellers to the area: “One thing to bear in mind, if booking a weekend getaway in Peterborough, it is customary if a stranger holds eye contact with you for more than three seconds, to shout “WHAT”??? and become extremely aggressive.”

You can see the original list in all its glory here.

So what do we think? Where else should have made the list – let us know in the Facebook comments.