RESIDENTS who live in the UK's "deadliest" area say they will not leave their home even though it has become a ghost town.
Disheartened locals in Great Bridge, West Midlands, have seen the once-thriving area drastically change with shuttered shops and rising crime rates.
It was once home to clanging foundries and factories in the beating heart of the Black Country – but today, residents believe it has been left behind.
Most of the factories in Great Bridge had closed by the early 1990s, leading to new housing estates on their sites.
Along with the closure of its factories, the village has also lost its indoor market which is missed by older shoppers.
Residents believe Great Bridge has become "rundown" and they described how drugs and shop break-ins have caused concern on the high street, alongside anti-social behaviour.
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Locals are also worried about quality of life as the area's life expectancy is eight years lower than the national average.
Courtney, 33, who lives in Blackheath while her mum lives in Great Bridge, labelled the area "rough".
She said: "This area is rough and rundown, by the canal it is bad, there are all needles on the floor everywhere.
"I'm not surprised by the life expectancy statistic.
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One man who worked at a hardware shop on the high street said the "system was broken".
He also said crime was an issue in the town, adding: "If we get broken into, nothing happens. They have smashed through our roof before."
And a customer in his shop said: "If you don't get stabbed around here, you will live until you are 70."
Referencing suspicious activity taking place in Great Bridge, the man said: "I see lads going into the get picked up in a new car, a 23 plate, and they'll go off up the road."
He also blasted anti-social behaviour which he claims has been an issue for some traders on the high street.
And getting appointments with doctors in the region is increasingly challenging, locals complained.
Lillian Horton, 68, said: "I lost my mom and dad at 60 and 61, they were both smokers. I'm hoping I can last longer. I lost two sisters, one aged 54 to motor neuron disease, and one aged 56 with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
"I think I have done well, being the oldest of seven, for my age.
"I retired three years ago, I was brought up on Hill Top (in West Bromwich) but moved over to Dudley 26 years ago. This area has gone downhill.
"They used to have a little market, you could do all of your shopping there and there used to be more than one butchers. There used to be a big Tesco, too. But now it's all gone, all we have now are charity shops.
"My brother lives up here, in shared accommodation. He said he is having trouble getting into the doctors."
BROKEN SYSTEM
The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that Great Bridge has an average life expectancy of 72 years, the lowest in the region.
At eight years lower than the national average of 80.9 years, the area is far more deadly to life expectancy than many other areas.
Roy Walton, 66, believed the volume of traffic driving around the area is damaging people's health. "The concern is the amount of cars on the road and pollution," he said.
"I think the amount of traffic affects people here."
A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I think it's tougher here compared to other areas, definitely."
Admittedly not directly related to health, the woman said schools in were "terrible" as there were issues with "bullying".
However not all agreed with the ONS statistic, with Malcolm Bissell saynig: "Both of my parents are aged 74, so that goes out of the window for me.
"It's not like it used to be with the coal mines, that sort of thing has gone.
"The health factors for most people should be a lot better. If you compare it to the 1950s to now then we have probably gained about 20 years."
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It comes as residents of Collyhurst in Manchester feel like they have been "forgotten" by their council amid a "chronic" lack of investment in the area.
And a once-thriving shopping hot spot in Sheffield is now full of boarded-up stores after a flurry of closures.
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