Llandysul: The abandoned Welsh ghost village with a dark side | United Kingdom | News

An abandoned British village has become a “ghost town” with a dark side, residents say.

Llandysul, in west Wales, was once a thriving community, with two schools, four banks, several shops and restaurants and a famous river.

But since a £23 million bypass road and a £25 million “super school” were built just on the outskirts, the picturesque village is said to have become a ghost town. Residents blame high property prices, the disappearance of main streets and the closure of businesses.

In July, around £2 million worth of cannabis was discovered at a former primary school in Llandysul, with 1,500 plants spread over two floors. Two men admitted to running the farm.

A week after the discovery, the abandoned school caught fire residents joked that firefighters were getting high as they battled the flames.

In November, another gang was charged after a separate cannabis farm with more than 700 plants in another disused school was discovered.

Before these arrests, residents of the region did not know that so much cannabis was being grown.

Mari Slaymaker, 37, said Online mail: “No one knew anything but suddenly there were police everywhere. Cannabis here is known as “mwg drwg” (bad smoke). When police raided the scene, you could smell it in the air.

“Drug gangs seem to target the most visible buildings, as if they are hiding in plain sight. We don’t know how long they had been growing these plants, but police estimated the crop inside the first school was worth £2 million.

“I was told they could produce a full crop every three months, so they made a lot of money. Much more than us locals.

Mari Slaymaker, barber and owner of Gentleman’s cafe, said: “I know many of the city’s businessmen have retired and the younger generation has gone to find work in Cardiff or England.

“The opening of the bypass means visitors no longer pass through Llandysul and we have become a forgotten place.

“I’m a glass half full. I still believe in the city and am optimistic about the future.

This lack of footfall in the village and empty buildings has made it a hotspot for drug gangs to take advantage of, according to resident Anne Fletcher.

She said: “A lot fewer people are coming here and maybe the drug gangs think it’s safer now because there’s not a lot of people coming in. It’s a quiet, sleepy village, so there might not be as much activity around. »