The little UK town ‘full of crackheads’ and abandoned shops – ‘it’s not safe after 1pm’

“It’s full of crackheads. It’s dirty and rough, that’s all I can say about Grays,” 27-year-old Katie Barwood tells the Daily Express. The Essex town, situated on the north bank of the River Thames, has deep historical ties to the shipping industry, but years of neglect have contributed to significant economic and social decline. Grays was once a highly prosperous industrial centre and port town, thriving from its chalk quarries, brickworks and nearby docks. However, by the end of the 1970s many of the industries scaled back or ceased operations altogether, leading to job losses and gaps in the local economy.

According to Thurrock Council’s Town Investment Plan, Grays town centre and high street remained economically viable until the opening of the Lakeside Shopping Centre in 1990, just a few miles away in West Thurrock. The out-of-town retail park, which boasts major department stores such as Marks & Spencer, Primark and JD Sports, is blamed for wiping footfall from Grays and kick-starting an aggressive retail decline.

The struggles have continued in recent years, with a number of town centre shops forced to close during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like others across the UK, traders in Grays have also fought a losing battle against the rise of online shopping and surging operating costs.

Thurrock Council first proposed regeneration plans in 2012, but progress was repeatedly stalled. In December 2022, the council issued a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy after losing hundreds of millions of pounds on failed solar farm investments, inevitably placing town regeneration and levelling-up projects on hold.

The Express visited Grays this week, which is only a 30-minute train journey from central London, to speak with local residents and traders about problems that the town still faces. Many noted the decline of the town centre, as well as repeated issues with crime and antisocial behaviour.

“In the last 15 years, it’s got so much worse here. It’s terrible,” Steve McQuade, know locally as “Dobbo”, says. The 66-year-old runs Grays Discount Store, on Clarence Road, with his wife.

Pointing out of his window, he says: “We used to have a market here. It was always so busy. It’s not now. There’s no footfall in the town centre. We rely on contract work with the council to keep going. Walk-in trade has basically [been] abolished.”

Mr McQuade, who has lived in Grays his whole life and operated his shop for 35 years, adds that crime and antisocial behaviour has worsened throughout the town centre in recent times. He explains how local youths “tear” through the town, wearing balaclavas and riding electric bikes.

“My wife won’t work any later than 1pm in the town centre because she knows what it gets like,” he explains. “There’s a college up the road and once the kids finish for the day, they come out in groups and terrorise the shops.

“They’re 17 or 18-year-old lads being yobs. This is a no-go area to visit at night time. I live just around the corner and you can hear all the noise and everything that’s going on. The kids on the electric bikes tear up and down the street. It’s not fair on people here.”

When asked if he would go out after dark, Mr McQuade replies: “No, I don’t.”

Another issue he faces on a daily basis is fly-tipping, which he says is also having a negative impact on his shop’s trade. Mr McQuade often arrives for work in the morning to see litter surrounding his shop.

“I come down here every morning to work and there’s rubbish all around my shop,” he explains. “I don’t mind picking it up but ultimately it’s not my job. I like to keep my area clean so I vacuum every day to clean it all up. The fly-tipping is all around the town centre. If you go up any alleyway around here, you will see it.”

The shop owner recalls one incident in which a pile of boxes was dumped outside his shop, still bearing the name and address of the person responsible. Despite reporting the fly-tip to the local council, he was reportedly told that nothing could be done as the accused was from Harlow.

He explains: “I said ‘well it’s still a fly-tip?’ So, does that mean that anyone can come from outside the area and dump rubbish in our town?”

A second resident, who wished to stay anoynmous, said Clarence Road, which is located in the heart of the town centre just off Grays High Street, is known as “Crime Alley”. He told of frequent drug-dealing, antisocial behaviour, and even knife crime.

“You’ll see open drug-dealing daily,” the resident says. “People are drunk every morning just walking around.

“We get a lot of youth crime around here too. Groups of kids riding their bikes around and running havoc. Some of them wear balaclavas but they’re not even 18.”

He also reveals once alleged incident which saw a boy chased by a machete-wielding gang. He says it took place in broad daylight, at around 11am.

“I’ve seen a kid being chased with a machete here around five years ago,” he explains. “One boy was walking down the street and a group of youths chased him down for giving them a dirty look. The boy ran into a shop to get away from them.”

He continues: “In terms of the town centre, it’s just betting shops and vape shops. There’s not much else. It’s a vicious cycle as people can’t get jobs, the benefits pay more than work, they develop drug habits, they then need to feed the drug habit, so they rob stuff, sell drugs, and it never stops. And who suffers? The residents and businesses.”

In the town centre, 27-year-old Katie Barwood is walking around with her two young children. When asked what living in Grays is like, her answer is stark.

“It’s full of crackheads. It’s dirty and rough, that’s all I can say about Grays,” she says. “Crime has always been an issue around here. I wouldn’t come to Grays if I didn’t live here.”

Ms Barwood explains how she often feels intimidated visiting the town centre, as groups of men linger on street corners. She says she visits to pick up essentials from shops before returning home.

Further up the high street, Margaret Briggs has just walked out of Choice discount store as she waits for her grandson to finish school. The 77-year-old is from Dagenham but visits Grays weekly to do the school run.

When asked what sort of reputation she thinks Grays has as a town, she smiles and replies: “Not very good. It’s all the people that hang about the town, it’s not nice.”

She points towards homelessness in and around the town centre as one of the issues facing Grays. The council has acknowleged that it is a significant and growing issue in the town and wider Thurrock area, driven by a shortage of affordable housing, rising rents, and increasing housing applications.

According to the council, around 600 people are living in temporary accomodation. Meanwhile, estimates show that around eight people are sleeping rough at any given time.

“The sad thing is, for most of them it’s not their fault. I feel sorry for them,” Ms Briggs says. “These people have got no opportunities around here. There’s not a lot here, there’s no shops.

“It’s one of those run-down towns where there’s just cash converters, barbers, betting shops. They’re not shops you want to go to.

“There’s a lot of littering around here which doesn’t help. I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time here.”

Despite the challenges facing Grays, the town has become a commuter hub, providing an affordable residential base for those working in London. Its railway station offers frequent services into central London, including direct connections to Fenchurch Street.

While the station, which is located on the high street, has increased the town’s popularity among commuters, some argue its location has “divided the town in half”. As the railway line cuts through the town centre, critics claim it severs pedestrian flow between the river and the main shopping area.

Meanwhile, the crossing outside the station is cited as one of the region’s most dangerous as trains pass through the town centre regularly. The crossing can be problematic for elderly shoppers with heavy bags, as they are often forced to wait for the train to pass or navigate a stepped subway.

Georgette Judd, 75, has lived in the town for seven years and says it’s “gone downhill for my age group”. “There’s just not much here for people,” she explains.

“It’s definitely a place for people to live and commute but for people who live here there’s not much. The Lakeside Shopping Centre is good, though, and I get the bus there.”

Meanwhile, 34-year-old Jimmy Batt believes Grays “has been bad for a long time”. He has lived in the town for his whole life and struggles to see any hope on the horizon.

“It’s a ghost town, there’s nothing in the town. It’s all barbers and charity shops. There’s a couple of cafes but nothing that makes you want to come in really.”

He also says that litter is an issue in Grays, describing the town as “dirty”. “The town needs some help and I only think it’s getting worse,” he adds.

Phil Green, 52, grew up in Grays before moving to Norfolk. He regularly returns to the town to visit family, but is saddened by the state it is now in.

“It’s not what it was years ago,” he says. “The shopping centre was absolutely fabulous when I was younger but there’s nothing left.

“What killed Grays was the opening of Lakeside. It wiped out all the other businesses. The town went through a period where it was all estate agents, and now it’s all pound shops which is a bit of a shame.”

He adds: “Antisocial behaviour is definitely worse here than it is where we are in Norfolk. When you’re young, things look rosier but as I’ve got older I’ve realised it’s not nice. It was a much nicer place when I was younger but it’s certainly changed over the years.”

Like many other villages, towns and cities across the UK, Grays is struggling. The vicious cycle of business closures, rising crime rates and homelessness has taken hold of what was once a thriving industrial town, and it’s hard for the locals to see a way out.

Chief Inspector Danny Barnes, Thurrock district commander, said: “We understand the concerns people have about crime and anti-social behaviour in Grays, and we care about the effect these issues can have on residents, businesses and visitors.

“That is why our officers carry out daily, visible patrols in the places and at the times when violence and anti-social behaviour are most likely.

“Over the past year, they have arrested wanted people, recovered stolen vehicles, disrupted drug dealing and taken weapons off the streets.

“Most recently, neighbourhood and response officers carried out warrants at two addresses as part of a drugs investigation.

“Two men were arrested and drugs, money and illegal vapes were recovered.

“One man has since been charged with drugs and weapons offences.

“We are also working with Thurrock Council, local businesses and community groups to tackle street drinking, nuisance vehicles, illegal off-road bikes, youth disorder and persistent offenders.

“I am under no illusion about the impact anti-social behaviour can have on people’s quality of life. It remains one of my highest priorities.

“My officers care about Grays, and we will continue listening to local people, maintaining a visible presence and taking action against those who cause harm.”

Cllr Russell Cherry, Cabinet Member for Veterans, Enforcement and Environment, said: “We know that crime and anti-social behaviour are concerns for our residents, and we work closely with Essex Police to tackle and disrupt this kind of behaviour. In Grays, we have a Public Space Protection Order in place that gives our enforcement officers powers to tackle antisocial behaviour quickly and effectively by issuing on-the-spot fines, moving people on and even banning repeat offenders from coming into Grays for up to 48 hours.

“I have been in the Grays town centre area today to see the situation for myself after complaints were raised. I spoke with a shopkeeper and other people to hear directly from them. As a result of what I have been told, I will be speaking with council officers to see if there is more we can do using the Public Space Protection Order.

“Recent joint work in Grays has included our Trading Standards officers carrying out targeted visits to shops suspected of selling illegal tobacco and vape products. This illicit trade is linked to organised crime and wider criminality.

“Grays is set to benefit from £250,000 of Pride in Place funding, £150,000 of which has been earmarked for the High Street. We hope that improving the look and feel of the area will help increase civic pride and reduce crime and antisocial behaviour.”