A GAUNT man bends over the shabby windowsill of a town hall as he carefully cuts drugs with a credit card.
It’s the middle of a sunny day, but while the scruffy dealer occasionally glances over his shoulder, he pays little attention to passers-by.
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Another resident in his thirties stops to chat before saying, “I’m going to have a pipe,” and walks into a wasteland.
Grangetown, ON Teessideranks highest in the country in terms of financial vulnerability, meaning residents struggle to cope with loss of income and increases in the cost of living.
The findings came in a new report for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for “Abandoned” Neighborhoods, which is investigating “levelling” areas in Britain.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Grangetown was a smart suburb, and its residents had skilled jobs at Teesport, a center for manufacturing chemicals that were shipped around the world.
But in the last of The Sun’s Broke Great Britain series, where we visit areas struggling to survive during the cost of living crisisexplain to the locals how antisocial behavior has made them too scared to leave their homes at night.
Lack of investment hurts caring community
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Sarah Jones, 50, who works at the local bakery, Morgan’s, said: “The drug culture here things get out of hand and there is a lack of support for people.
“I see 15-year-olds coming in here and not even being able to count.
“I always feel that their education is preventing them from getting a job, but some people here don’t even want one.
“It’s so sad that this is the culture these people were raised in. It’s terrible.”
Despite Grangetown’s problems, a caring community spirit persists.
But Sarah says the lack of investment in the area is hampering young people’s prospects.
“These children are not getting a good education and therefore no job,” she said.
“There are a lot of empty flats that they could have done something with, like building a better community center.”
A dilapidated block nearby is boarded up and surrounded by piles of trash and broken glass, while gaping holes fill the ground.
Locals explain how drug deals regularly happen behind closed doors, with jumpy-looking men and women entering and quickly leaving nearby homes.
Unemployed turn to food banks and drugs
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Peter Guest, 39, used to work as a carer but has struggled with rising bills since he lost his job.
He said: “I know this place is bad for unemployment, especially in the
minute.
“A lot of people are having a hard time because workshops have closed and so many jobs have been lost.
“Grangetown used to be close to a thriving steel mill, but when it started to close it went downhill.
“There’s a lot of drug trafficking and it’s not good. I try not to pay attention to it and you just get used to it.
“I struggled to get back to work and had depression for a while.
“Unless you put in a lot of hours, there’s nothing left after you pay council tax and rent.
“One of my friends has used the food bank before and I have used it in the past.
“Unfortunately, more people are turning to that.”
Many residents were once employed by the Southbank Steelmaking Plant, but now all that remains is an empty, brutalist structure towering over the suburb, a sad reminder of the past.
The city, with less than 7,000 inhabitants, is now a shadow of its former self and is riddled with crime. In April this year alone, 393 were reported, 106 of them violent.
‘Afraid of going out in the dark’
One of the most infamous attacks in Grangetown took place in 2016 when Gary Hierons Snr, 45, was awakened by a disturbance outside his home.
When he went to investigate, he was greeted by an armed gang of hooded youths.
He was then stabbed by two teenagers in an attack that left part of his body behind
bowels hanging.
The crime rates have made 66-year-old Tina Condrey afraid to go out after dark.
The former caretaker said: “The town has definitely gone downhill and I feel like…
the sense of community has disappeared.
“Some of it is crime and drug related, but unemployment also plays a role.
“I know there are drug houses around here and at night, and sometimes during the day, I don’t go out.
“There was major industrial work here a while ago and we have the docks, but the area has not recovered from the closures.”
‘Major problem with burglary’
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Birchington Avenue used to be home to a bustling row of independent food shops and the popular Magnet Pub.
But the pub has now been boarded up and the small businesses have given way to Premier and Herons Foods stores.
In 2015, Grangetown was ranked as the sixth most deprived neighborhood in England, out of nearly 8,000.
An elderly woman shared how she worries about the future of her grandchildren.
Cost of Living: What You Need to Know
She said: “The city has a benefit problem, with too many people refusing to work. There is also a big problem with crime and I know that because there was a break-in years ago.
“A motorcycle worth £5,500 had disappeared. When it was returned, it had been destroyed.
“My son used that to go to work and lost his job because of it. He always says if Grangetown and his bike weren’t stolen he would still be in that good job.
“He can’t ride and tried to go back and forth on a push bike, but the damage was already done by then.
“You see a lot of drugs dealing and you see people smoking green on the street.
“I have grandchildren and I look at them and wonder what kind of life they will have.
“I’m worried about them. When my youngest comes, all he wants to do is go on his bike and I’m afraid anything could happen to him when he gets older.”
A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council said: “People across the community, including the community, partner agencies, charities and individuals are working hard every day to alleviate problems of financial insecurity and addiction – as well as to improve the economy and create high-quality jobs.” to create quality in the long run.”
He added that there are a number of schemes to help those in financial need, including a £150 discount on utilities, council tax relief, housing allowance and a household fund.
The Redcar and Cleveland Money Advice Service also offers specialized advice and assists a number of support organizations, including credit unions, that operate in the area.
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