'We live in mining town with £5k homes being ruined by smackhead southerners'
Locals complain the ‘pit closing down' ruined Easington in County Durham.
Back in 1984, Easington Colliery in County Durham was one of the flashpoints for unrest during the miners’ strike. The town, which references the ‘pit’ in the name itself, was one of many spots in the North East with a heavy police presence.
These days the narrow streets and redbrick housing that played host to those dramatic clashes have gained notoriety for a different reason; the cost of the properties.
Homes in Easington Colliery are listed for just £5,000 with locals blaming the closure of the mine for the declining fortunes of the town.
“The pit closed, that’s what happened,” said a neighbour of a property listed for £5K when asked Express.co.uk why they thought it was so cheap.
The Easington Colliery local also suggested an influx of Londoners and other Southerners, who they claimed had been rehoused because of problems in their original neighbourhoods, for the bargain prices.
“They brought up all the s**t up here from London,” they added, “they’re trafficking them up here. My nephew was down in London and he saw a sign in a police station saying ‘start a new life in a mining village’.
“They move all the smack-heads in who smash up the place and then get a new one. Nobody wants to live next to that.”
They weren’t sure how or why the Southerners were being moved to County Durham, but claimed it was clear that it wasn’t because of opportunities to improve their situation.
“The ones from down south aren’t working they just get looked after,” they added.
The neighbour bemoaned the state of the area, which was used as the location for many of the scenes in the hit film Billy Elliot, claiming problems with drugs developed in the aftermath of the early 90s mine closure. Although they felt problems have been multiplied by those with addiction problems from other parts of the country.
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“It all went downhill when the crackheads moved in,” they continued. "This is the better part of town. Down the bottom houses would probably sell for a pound. I used to know everyone on this street now I know no one.”
Easington is far from the only town in County Durham where house prices are amongst the cheapest in the country.
The Express also found homes in nearby Shildon also selling for just £5,000.
Neighbours of homes listed for these prices told Express it was also suffering from the impact of outsiders, in this case, it being people purchasing homes and then not showing due care and attention to the upkeep.
Do you know any more about problem residents being moved to the North East? Contact zak.garnerpurkis@reachplc.com