Benefits Britain - Jaywick

[Booldawg]

Did anyone else see this last night?

It featured people on benefits in this ridiculously depressing seaside town in Essex called Jaywick.

I've never heard of the place before but they seem to have successfully created a complete ghetto in this seaside town.

Had a look on Google Streetview; theres even a holiday camp there. How peed off would you be if that's where you ended up with your 50p holibobs from the Sun.

[crisper]

We watched it Booldawg.. I think the Holiday Camp is now where all the residents live!.. shame.. bet it was nice once... Some of those people are earning more on benefits than my husband and I get a year.. and we both work!..Mrs C

[Booldawg]

yes, we looked on Streetmap and you have to drive through some pretty dilapidated areas to get to the holiday camp.

The town only seems to have one pub, with a fear instilling name - 'The Never Say Die' lol!

[ichkeria]

Jaywick was in the news a few months ago as part of the Clacton constituency of the rebel Tory MP who defected to UKIP.

[saintpeter48]

I watched it and had to smile at the 'lad' who said all the foreigners coming over here isn't right, and that they are taking all of the jobs away from people born and bred here ......... I wonder if he would be willing to get up at 5 in the morning and work hard all day, 6 days a week doing a cleaning job for the minimum wage, as do many immigrants, I very much doubt it!!

[Postdog]

^^^^^

I very much doubt he would know what clean is....

[frugalfred]

I never watch TV programmes about benefits as they put my blood pressure up to dangerous levels.

[TWR]

We watched it, my thoughts on these people they could help themselves by cleaning up their disgusting homes, they deserve to live like that, a brush / hover & a bit of effort to clean their "Pits" especially where children are growing up, & I am not a stuck up sod, but soap & water / brush & shovel does not cost a lot, a couple of packs of fags maybe?

[Buenchico]

My grandparents (and then later my aunt and uncle) lived in Jaywick, with my grandfather frequently (and quite literally) 'singing for his supper' in the Never Say Die. I sat in its tiny beer garden, with my parents, many times as a kid! (However it's definitely got more than one pub because the Three Jays, as you come into the town, is still there as well)

I've since been there quite a few times because I used to supervise the deliveries of Yellow Pages throughout that part of Essex. There are indeed some very depressing parts of Jaywick, such as the Brooklands estate (where every house seems to possess at least 4 vicious dogs!) but there are also some nicer areas too.

From our local rag:
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/gallery_does_jaywick_deserve_it_s_reputation_as_a_deprived_town_of_former_holiday_homes_1_3822465
and the Indy:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/on-the-edge-of-nowhere-7924708.html

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxowB9RVYN4

[silliemillie]

We used to go to the Jaywick holiday camp when we were kids, it's still there, not part of the Ghetto area, those chalets used to be beautiful then, it's such a shame.

A small estate of new houses and flats have been built right next to BBrookands (not sure who is buying them!)

One of the Dads said the place was heaven compared to where they use to live in London, the mind boggles as to what that must have been like!

[Postdog]

A very nice caravan site is just a walk away too.

[Dizmo]

That's where they filmed the latest Top Gear episode.