Mountains of rubbish fill streets, gardens and even abandoned caravans in Britain's "most deprived town".
Urban explorer Wendall visited the run-down Essex town of Jaywick to try to present a fairer picture of the place which has been named the most deprived neighbourhood in England three times in the past 10 years.
One Jaywick resident admits ruefully that the place is “an acquired taste”. They claim it was basically where the authorities “moved all the rough families” from other council estates in Essex and London.
READ MORE: UK town where hooligans 'smack you then say sorry' is 'best place to be homeless'
To keep up with the exploits of other urban explorers check out the Daily Star's dedicated section here
![Jaywick](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32160937.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Inside-Englands-Most-Deprived-Town-The-Truth.jpg)
Another local, just up the road in Clacton, admits there had been “a large number of stabbings” in the area in recent years, which does nothing to help the run-down seaside town’s grim reputation.
She explains that a number of properties being used as full-time homes in the town had only originally been intended for short-term occupancy in the summer months: “They’re just wooden shacks,” the woman adds.
One bloke who lives in one of the ramshackle “holiday homes” says it’s overrun with rats and mice and his three cats “just run away from them”.
![Jaywick](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32160933.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Inside-Englands-Most-Deprived-Town-The-Truth.jpg)
Many of the old holiday chalets, some built almost a century ago, are rotting away from neglect, and entire rows of properties are boarded up.
The streets are choked with rubbish, with Wendell saying: “I don't think I've seen another place quite like this in the UK. Nothing anywhere near.
“Everywhere I go, everyone's just dumping mattresses, beds, sofas because everybody has given up care for the aesthetic of the place.”
But some of Jaywick’s residents are trying to beautify the place, in their own eccentric way. Wendell interviewed two people who celebrated Halloween all year round in their spooky shack.
![Jaywick](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32160936.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Inside-Englands-Most-Deprived-Town-The-Truth.jpg)
The couple, standing proudly in front of the building decorated with “Amityville” signs and sinister-looking dolls, insist Jaywalk is the kind of place where you could knock on someone’s door at 2am and be sure of a warm welcome.
They say that when 68-year-old Esther Martin was fatally savaged by two outlawed XL bully dogs earlier this month “there were loads of people outside trying to rescue her”. They blame the media for repeated documentaries focusing on the area’s chronic problems with petty crime, fly-tipping and poverty.
The issues are worsened because some councils in east London have ”dumped” problem families in Jaywalk. “A lot of people that have come down from London are unwanted in the areas that they were in, so they tend to what I call ‘pigeon hole’ and shove them in one area where they feel are they're going to fit in,” they explain.
![JAYWICK](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32160934.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Inside-Englands-Most-Deprived-Town-The-Truth.jpg)
One resident who had lived in the town for 15 years told EssexLive in 2019 that it was the council's fault that the streets were so full of rubbish. She said: "Residents bagged it up, it's totally disgusting and I called the council this morning, they were well aware of the problem.
"It’s just not right to have so much rubbish sitting on the sea wall," she added. "Especially as it had been reported before my phone call to the council because they were aware of it."
Regarding the issue at the time, a spokesperson from Tendring District Council said: "People have a responsibility to make sure their rubbish is disposed of properly, and we will take action against anyone found to be flytipping where we have the evidence of it."
![JAYWICK](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32160935.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Inside-Englands-Most-Deprived-Town-The-Truth.jpg)
Councillor Paul Honeywood, the Tendring district council member with special responsibility for Jaywick said: "The issues in Jaywick are complex and if they were easy to fix they would have been solved years ago.
"We, working with our partners and the community, are doing a lot of work to address issues of deprivation, with initiatives across the short, medium and long-term.
To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here .