British town overrun by 145 barbers was once named ‘worst place to live’ | United Kingdom | News

Just north of London lies a town overrun by hair salons that was once considered the worst place to live in the UK.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests that Luton, Bedfordshire, with a population of 231,028, has 145 hair salons.

This equates to 1,593 inhabitants per barber.

An interactive map by Online mail also shows that there has been a 61.1% increase in the number of hair salons in the region since 2019.

Other places that have many barbers include Waltham Forest (255), Hackney (305) and Tower Hamlets (255).

Outside of London, there are 180 in Medway, Kent.

In 2023Luton has been named the worst place to live in England in a viral online poll by online community rating website. ilivehere.co.uk.

Some of the negative reviews about the city included: “The city itself is not pleasant to look at. »

Another said: “This makes Slough comparable to the tax haven of playboy exiles in Monaco.”

A year later, in a list of “most depressing” cities in 2024features of Luton.

It has been described as “the toilet of England”, coming in at number 11, The mirror reports.

The newspaper found during a visit to Luton that the word ‘dangerous’ appears regularly to describe life in the town.

This was especially the case when it came to being downtown in the evening.

Employment was also mentioned as a problem, coupled with the lack of bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

This “inevitably means people are hanging out in the streets.”

Additionally, research carried out by Shelter in 2023 found that more than 3,443 people in Luton were considered homeless.

This made it the worst area in the east of England for people without permanent accommodation.

However, Luton has also been ranked as one of the most laid-back places in the UK.

In March this year it was considered the fifth most zen place in the UK, just behind Bournemouth.

It also came second for having the lowest anxiety levels.