Residents of a former mining village in the Midlands have claimed theirs is the grimmest in the
UK. And they say the inmates in three nearby prisons are the 'lucky ones'. This is Featherstone in 2024. A stones throw from the M6 and M54 motorways, a small village with, according to locals, big problems. From crime, crumbling infrastructure, and overflowing dog poo bins, they say the area has been forgotten, left behind while other nearby villages seemingly flourish. READ MORE: 'I patrol the M6 and these are some of the weirdest things I see' Join our Best of Brum
WhatsApp community here Villagers here say people who drink too much, or take drugs falling over in the street, are a common sight. Many are scared to go out when it's dark. The old the Red, White and Blue, was once the thriving centre of this village. It's closed now. It has broken windows and fences all around it. There is litter on the footpaths that gets blown into gardens, and some houses are falling apart. One house on Cannock Road looks like it has been cut in half. The bedroom upstairs is open to the rain and wind. When a new bus shelter was installed. someone even set
fire to it within days. The roads don't fare any better with potholes peppering the routes through the village. Dean Proffitt, 62, who has lived in Featherston for a long time, said: "I often say that this would be a nice place to live if it wasn't for the drunks and the smack heads. They are everywhere and it's upsetting to see. "I've lived here on and off for years and it's certainly got worse. There's rubbish everywhere and people spewing up everywhere. There's no point telling the
police because they won't do anything about it." Rachel Canning, 51, thinks the council should do a better
Job cleaning the village. She expressed her concerns, saying: "It doesn't look as if the council come out enough to cut the grassed areas anymore, clean up the litter or empty the dog mess bins. The dog bins are full up and there is dog poo all over the village. "I don't know if they are people coming into the village or people who live here who have just given up. You'll go into the next village Shareshill and it's beautiful. It's looked after, it's a shame ours isn't. "The state of our village is awful, there's drug abuse, people picking up and selling drugs. It's atrocious. I understand it happens everywhere but it's really bad here. You're frightened to walk your dog at night. "We had our van stolen off our drive. There are constant break-ins and always people checking doors and car handles but the police are not interested." QUIZ: See how much of a true Brummie you are Dave Bethell, 74, shared his thoughts: "For a start the pub's closed so we don't have a pub in the village. I've heard the council is going to knock it down and build another supermarket. There's drugs everywhere." Pensioner Alex Tenn, 73, voiced his opinion: "There was supposed to be a bypass built but it never was. As a result big lorries come down past people's houses causing constant noise. It's stressful for people." Another resident added: "On the whole, the people are friendly but the place looks and feels really down. It needs a good clear out. Outside my house is a car bonnet and bumper which have been there for three weeks now. "It was just left there on the path and no one's moved it. I moved here from Nottingham last November but I wish I'd never moved here. It just seems unloved, people aren't taking a pride in the area. "The only reason I wanted to move here was because I thought Featherstone was a nice name for a place but I couldn't have been more wrong." POLL: Are you worried about crime in the Black Country? Shopworker Thomas Rowe, 30, said: "It's a bit of a joke among the locals that the inmates in the prisons nearby are luckier than us. When they look out of their barred windows they probably feel quite sorry for us because our lives are worse than theirs. "Featherstone is not just a dump, it's died on it's a*se. I think that's why people are depressed because the majority of people here are decent folk. It's just so sad to see...it always used to be a close-knit community." Despite being home to more than 4,000 people, Featherstone is still considered a village. In the 1920s, a new mine was opened, causing the population to soar from just 39 to over 3,000 within a few years. Since the start of this year, there have been 39 violent and sexual offences, 13 vehicle crimes, six thefts, and five cases of criminal damage and arson.