The UK city where locals are ‘too scared of druggies’ to go out – ‘we keep doors locked’

Walking around Southampton is, at first glance, reminiscent of a buzzing city. There is the vast port, a dynamic city centre with skateboarders testing their tricks, the Cultural Quarter with galleries and plenty of large shops, including a multi-level store Ikea. As the departure point for the Titanic, Southampton’s SeaCity Museum tells the story of the disaster from inside an imposing Civic Centre.

There are green spaces and two universities, which bring tens of thousands of young people into the city every year. Southampton is now home to around 259,000 residents, with approximately 37,800 students helping to give it a dynamic character.

But there is another side to the place. The Daily Telegraph recently put Southampton last in its ranking of Britain’s 20 biggest cities, awarding it just one out of ten for visitor appeal. There were 31,332 police-recorded crimes in the city in 2024/25. While this was a decrease from the previous year, its overall crime rate stood at 121 offences per 1,000 residents, compared with a national average of 85 – meaning Southampton’s rate was around 42% higher than the national figure, according to the city’s latest Safe City Strategic Assessment.

And a recent council survey found that only 39% of respondents felt safe in their local area after dark, while more than a third said they had personally been a victim of crime or anti-social behaviour during the previous year, according to Southampton City Council’s 2025 community safety figures.

One of the areas where the city’s problems are prominent is St Mary’s. A mostly residential neighbourhood, it is perhaps best known for St Mary’s Stadium, home of Southampton Football Club.

But away from the football crowds, parts of the area, like St Mary’s Street, offer a different scene. Shabby-looking shopfronts sit alongside tired buildings and empty businesses, while neglected-looking premises and signs of poverty give parts of the street an air of a community crying out for investment and renovation.

Located just east of the centre, St Mary’s is in the Bargate electoral ward, which had the highest rate of crimes per resident population in 2024/25.

Residents say the city’s statistics translate into something much more tangible: the feeling of having to watch their backs.

Melanie Smith, 53, is one of them.

She told the Express: “When I moved in 12 years ago, we had a murder of a neighbour on the same floor as me.

“It never used to be like this, 50-odd years ago when we used to live around here before. It used to be a lot different. You could feel safe, you could leave your doors unlocked.

“But now, while we’re in, we make sure our doors are locked, our chains are crossed.

“If we have locked the windows, just our curtains open, then we can see if any of the neighbours want to come over and see us.”

Another resident, Hannah Thomas, 38, paints a similar picture.

Working as a shop assistant at Georges Price Crunch convenience store, she said someone had driven into the shop shortly before Christmas in what she believed was a drink-driving incident.

Further down the road, she said, groups of teenagers gather and drug activity is visible.

She said: “You get a lot of young kids hanging around there, and it’s pretty obvious what they’re doing.

“It’s annoying when you see people fighting and things like that. It brings the community down a little bit.

“I don’t really like it, because I’m bringing up my own child myself.”

Another local, who has lived around St Mary’s for roughly 40 years but wished to remain anonymous, was even more damning.

He claimed drug dealing and violence were commonplace and said he had personally felt unsafe in the area.

“Bent, crooked, and corrupt,” was how he described St Mary’s in three words, adding that he agreed with the description of the city as one of the country’s worst.

He added: “There was a time down here when taxis wouldn’t come near, not even the police cars would come into the estate, the police cars were getting bricked.

“A lot of it’s down to sort of drugs and stuff like that. So it’s a lot of druggies constantly around here.

“You get a load of school kids in their school uniforms selling cocaine and heroin, and they take it out of their mouth.

“That’s where they keep it. So if the police come on top, they can just swallow it.”

The allegations have not been independently verified.

The man believes the situation has reached the point that he is considering moving away from the town.

But, ironically, he is worried there might be nowhere quite like Southampton.

He said: “A friend of mine has just moved out of the area. And she said where she’s living is totally boring. She says, down St Mary’s Street, you don’t need television. You just walk down the street and it’s just entertainment all the time.”

But the picture is not universally bleak.

Brian Gorton, 82, has lived in St Mary’s for around five years and said he feels perfectly safe.

Sitting outside a pub lit with a wholesome, almost idyllic energy of a group of pensioners dancing and enjoying themselves, the retired widower said the area offers him a comforting community.

He said: “I lost my wife in 2013. Wiped me out for a few years, but I’ve recovered. And now the most important thing to me is getting out and meeting people.

“So I get out. As you see, I’m sitting here now having a drink. I’ll chat to anybody who goes by, and I go into the pub and have a drink in there.

“I come home sometimes at two, half past two in the morning, and I’ve never had any problem.

“I’m not looking for it, so probably it’s going on, but honestly, I don’t see it.”

Now, authorities are attempting to change the area’s reputation.

Southampton City Council and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary formally launched the Building a Brighter Future programme in St Mary’s in May 2026.

Councillor Toqeer Kataria, Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety and Leisure, told the Express the programme had already brought many positive changes to the area.

Focusing on “long-term change rather than short-term fixes”, the programme combines enforcement with community engagement, environmental improvements and support for vulnerable people.

He said police officers had carried out 181 searches where there was a cause for concern, while there have been no reports of serious violence since the programme launched.

He added that CCTV coverage has been increased in identified hotspots and lighting improvements have been made in certain areas.

The council is also expanding activities for young people, including football sessions run by Southampton Football Club’s Saints Foundation.

Chief Inspector Charlie Ilderton, deputy district commander for Southampton, added: “Our officers regularly speak with residents and business owners throughout St Mary’s, who are telling us they are seeing positive changes as a result of the Building a Brighter Future project.

“Working alongside partners, including the council, housing providers, health services and other organisations, we are taking a joined-up approach to tackling crime, reducing anti-social behaviour and addressing the issues that matter most to the community.

“Since the project began, we have made 80 arrests, disrupted criminal activity linked to drug supply, seized hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs, and removed knives and other weapons from the streets.

“We are also supporting vulnerable residents, safeguarding young people at risk of exploitation, and helping to direct people to the services they need to improve their wellbeing and life chances.

“Officers continue to carry out patrols throughout the day, using powers such as stop and search and dispersal orders where appropriate.”