A DISCARDED food wrapper blows along the pavement of a deserted street while under murky gun-metal skies, a few brave souls set up camp on the beach.
But it's not just the unseasonably grey summer weather that has cast a cloud over the seaside resort of Cleethorpes.
The town on Lincolnshire's east coast has been hit hard by years of economic downturns and a rising crime rate.
Last week it was revealed jobs in once-loved British seaside towns have plummeted by 50,000 in a decade - with Cleethorpes seeing 2,700 jobs go.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has promised to "make our seaside towns great again" by slashing and reforming business rates.
She also said she would ensure sewage being pumped into the sea was banned, and aim to boost tourism.
But when The Sun visited, locals aren't convinced. Nichola Porter, 40, who works as a care assistant, says: "Oh don’t get me started on bloody Labour.
"They all say everything but none of them bring anything to the table. I can’t see anything changing. Things are far too gone."
She adds: "It’s a dead end now. Everything is closed. There’s nothing much going on. With everyone struggling it’s getting worse."
It's mid-afternoon but several shops and businesses at The North Prom have been deserted.
A cafe which boasts of selling "the biggest breakfast on the prom" has its graffiti-clad shutters down, and the souvenir shop next door is also closed - both once part of the enormous indoor Wonderland Market.
It used to be a big attraction, and was the first market to be allowed to open on a Sunday, but it shut down 12 years ago and reopened next door - with the original building now left to rot.
Cleethorpe's once busy theme park, Pleasure Island, followed suit in 2016.
Meanwhile it's near impossible to turn a corner and not be faced with a "to let" or "for sale" sign.
A seafront trader selling fish, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells us: "The North Prom is a s***hole.
"The council have done nothing. The only public toilets for miles are a disgrace. Teenagers run riot here at night.
"I’m retiring next year after 30 years. I can’t wait to get out. Cleethorpes is in terminal decline."
Just a few metres down the road a homeless man, who gives his name as Dwayne, reveals he has been forced to sleep rough after his hopes of finding work were dashed.
The 38-year-old says: "I got evicted and came to Cleethorpes looking for accommodation and then a job. I’m struggling to find either.
"Things are tough for a lot of people at the moment.
"I’m sleeping under a shed on the beach but got soaked the other night.
"It’s a bit safer here than in towns and cities."
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29 сен 2024
