‘Pickpockets, beggars and gangs’ – life in Britain’s ‘unhappiest’ town

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    A resident living in "Britain's unhappiest town" says he's not surprised it's earned the accolade because it's "rough" and filled with "pickpockets, beggars and gangs."

    In fact, some locals admitted they are "too scared to go out at night" as crime "blights the streets" of Hillingdon in West London. The borough came out at the bottom of Rightmove's Happy at Home index – even though the average house price there is £483,556, the Daily Mail reports.

    The area covers Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton. Yet only 12 miles away – Richmond upon Thames has been classed the "happiest place," with residents saying it's "better" than the south of France.

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    One resident, 74-year-old Malcolm John Innes who has lived in Uxbridge for over 30 years and said the area has gone down hill. He told the Mail: "The crime rate here is pretty bad. It's pretty rough in many of the town centres, and there are pickpockets, beggars and gangs around. I certainly would not go out here at night."

    Another said: "I remember going to Uxbridge Tech in the early 80's all the way from W12 on the 207 bus, the biggest thing that happened then was they opened a McDonald's."

    Hillingdon was ranked last out of 33 in the greater London area with a national ranking of 218.

    But others spoke out in support of Hillingdon. One life-long resident said: "I think it's bonkers that Hillingdon came out last. I came here as a baby and it's a really homely place to live. Whenever I go on holiday I am always aching to get back home."

    Others were also shocked at the news and said it was a "fantastic place to live."

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    On the other side of the capital, it was the first time Richmond upon Thames has topped the 'happy at home' poll conducted by Rightmove – which asked more than 26,000 people how they feel about where they live.

    The city of Winchester in Hampshire came out second, and Monmouth in Wales is third.

    Elizabeth Ward who lives in Richmond upon Thames said: "'I love it here. We also have a house in the South of France, but every time I come back here, I literally punch the air. It is a fantastic place to live, and it makes me happy being here."

    One man was skeptical of the results and said: "Nah. Hillingdon is just typical London outer borough. Proper mix of everything within a very small area and sky high house prices. There's well worse in bits of Leeds for example. Or Doncaster. Or Hull. Or Middlesborough. And there's better than Richmond in all these places too."

    Another added: "Who says money doesn't bring happiness? Just look at the list."

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