The town often-slated as UK's 'worst' but is nowhere near as bad as everyone says
Luton is a town many associate as being "rundown" and "full of chavs", but a forum about the state of the area triggered one local to put everyone straight.
A beautiful town in the UK which is often dubbed as the country’s “worst” is not as bad as claimed by everyone. Luton, in Bedfordshire, is a town and unitary authority with borough status.
Positioned on the River Lea, Luton is situated 30 miles north-west of London, 18 miles north-west of Hertford, 20 miles south of Bedford, and 22.5 miles south-east of Milton Keynes. As of the 2021 census, its population was 225,262.
An ideal place for business or pleasure. Luton is a vibrant, exciting town nestled between the beautiful Chiltern Hills offering many brilliant and convenient advantages for visitors.
However, it has often been slated as the “worst” town in the UK with many complaining about racism and its poor security.
On a Reddit forum dedicated to social media discussions, a query was raised to the online community regarding the location in the UK that is perceived as being genuinely unpleasant. Luton emerged as a frequently mentioned response by numerous individuals.
One user replied: “Agree, full of racists, wannabe thugs, muggings. Absolutely hated it there.” Another user said: “Someone stole my phone in security scanning at Luton airport. F****** hate luton.”
A third user said: “I got an early flight from Luton and stayed the night before in a town centre hotel. Walked from the train station to the hotel through the shopping precinct. Haven’t felt such a threat in the air since I accidentally got between Rangers and Celtic fans. I can’t put my finger on it but it was like everyone expected violence at the drop of a hat.”
A fourth user said: “Spent a month team leading there at the cinema just after I completed my training as a "I'm eager to do whatever is asked of me" type thing and it humbled me QUICK.
"I'm from Northampton and we'd have s***** kids to deal with but nothing like Luton, I hated every second and I'm so glad I got promoted elsewhere.”
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While some of the complaints centre on possibly a skewed view of the area - with many focusing on specific places and experiences, not everyone thinks it's all that bad.
According to Rightmove, properties in Luton had an overall average price of £313,055 over the last year. The majority of sales in Luton during the last year were semi-detached properties, selling for an average price of £338,168. Terraced properties sold for an average of £283,602, with flats fetching £158,935.
Overall, sold prices in Luton over the last year were similar to the previous year and 5 percent up on the 2021 peak of £298,189.
Another user agreed with the facts and responded: "Am I the only one that thinks Luton isn't that bad? I'm female. I live in a decent area and my neighbours are very friendly. I can walk around late at night without any issues.
"I've got lovely walking areas near me. Streets are clean. Town centre can be pretty bad. Some other areas are rough, like Lewsey Park and Marsh farm, but even those I've visited several times and aren't as bad as portrayed.
"Every town has its good and bad areas. I've lived here for 20+ years and have never experienced the kind of things I hear people talk about. I even speak with/bought dinner for some of the homeless/druggies and they are decent people too."
She compared the area to Hemel Hempstead and claimed it is "much worse than Luton."
"I just feel like people jump on this 'Luton is a sh*thole' bandwagon," she added. "Especially people who visit once, see a bit of rubbish and assume the whole town is like that. I rarely encounter chavs yet people think Luton is riddled with them.
"It depends on the areas you go, and the people you associate with. I love the place and have been to much much worse towns in the UK.”