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<\/p>\nOne of the UK\u2019s most deprived places has been blasted as a \u201cghost town\u201d by residents who say its empty streets make them feel unsafe.<\/p>\n
People who live in Middlesbrough, Teesside, have been responding to a report by leading poverty experts that put the town in the bottom three in terms of destitution.<\/p>\n
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation study found that only Manchester and Newham, in London, were in a worse state than Middlesbrough. And the findings appear to be backed up by reality on the ground, reports Teesside Live. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: Nearly 9 in 10 Brits aren't aware of the charities that tackle hygiene poverty <\/b><\/p>\n
For more news from around the UK, click here. <\/b><\/p>\n
Teaching assistant Pauline Carter, who was born and brought up in the town, said Middlesbrough being named the third most destitute place in England was \u201cprobably about right\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Pauline, who now lives in nearby Ingleby Barwick, added: \u201cEverything has closed down. I don\u2019t feel safe in Middlesbrough. It\u2019s too risky. I only came to Middlesbrough today to pick up my granddaughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 74-year-old pensioner, who didn\u2019t want to be named, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a ghost town. They\u2019ve closed too many shops.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jean Young and June Fosse, shopkeepers at the town\u2019s PDSA store, said: \u201cEveryone says Middlesbrough is a ghost town. They\u2019re shutting all the nice shops.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeople haven\u2019t got resources to buy the shops. The resources have to be spent on the police because of the crime levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation report looked into people\u2019s ability to meet basic needs such as staying warm, dry, clean and fed.<\/p>\n
Oludare Olowora, who moved to Middlesbrough from Nigeria to study for a Master\u2019s degree in 2021, said the town\u2019s poverty was being driven by a lack of employment opportunities.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere are no real jobs here,\u201d he said. \u201cI have been here since 2021. I\u2019m not finding any work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oludare arrived in the UK on a sponsored visa to study project management, but now he\u2019s completed his studies he can\u2019t find work. He said there were \u201cno opportunities for people\u201d and \u201cno sponsorship\u201d from employers.<\/p>\n
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