I live in Castleford, have done all my life, and i think you've hit the nail on the head with the reasons why the town has fallen by the wayside. I'm in no position to slate people at the poverty line because I'm really not much richer, but most of the crime comes from the age group of 14-30, mostly from young aspiring roadmen or chavs stuck in 2006 despite nearing their thirties. Lots of fights and hair trigger yobs who get mad at the maintenance of any eye sight whatsoever. half way houses everywhere, rehab centres, and what does it cause? With nothing to do and no job opportunities in the town itself, it's turned into a ghost town for the elderly and young adults who are miserable that they have to live here. We have a big alternative scene with a local music festival and plenty of pubs catering to bikers and metalheads, but we get our fair share of harassment from the same kinds of chavs that killed Sophie Lancaster 16 years ago. Miserable place really, but it has its ups. Electrictown is a cool little shop, theres a place to play warhammer, there's nice walking woods and a nature reserve nearby in fairburn. But thats really all there is to the place. Leeds is nearby and much better in every regard.
Appreciate you taking the time to share your honest thoughts as someone who lives here, I hope this helps answer some of the questions and assumptions being thrown around here, defo deserves a pinning!
@@ibphysicsclassroom well, obviously you can avoid a lot of the problems, as is the case with most areas. I'd research where you're going to be living though, only makes sense, right?
Yeah it is. I didn’t know it back then, but I can only imagine. I deliberately didn’t film the homeless and troubled people I saw at the bus stations, but it didn’t feel safe at all there.
@@geoffdundee Shame that,, 70 years ago you would have found gainful employment wearing a nice German uniform. And then on liberation day I'd get to slap your face with 0 legal repercussions .
There are lots of small towns in the UK that seem to have ended up as open sewers. The police just generally avoid doing anything because it adds to their crime statistics, and it makes them look poor at keeping law & order, so it becomes better to turn a blind eye.
nah nah poilce are to busy making sure you dont misgender someone or dont post a offensive joke on twitter someone because that all the woke police are interested in these day
@@ColinBarrett001 Nor do you. Em... Remember Manchester and the police loosing all those 'crimes'. Do you people think we are all low IQ idiots or something?
Growing up in Pontefract, I'd never really considered it dangerous compared to the stories I'd hear of elsewhere in England. I just assumed every small town was like that, with kids starting on people and druggies around each corner. I got used to it I guess since I'd walk past them every day to get to and from High School. Then I moved out for university, to York, and it was like whiplash seeing how different it was. It was a lot safer, and although you still had some of the same issues with the youth, it's much better.
Yeah, too many people say that certain areas ‘aren’t that bad’ because they think it’s the norm. It’s not until you travel or live elsewhere that you really appreciate- or not- where you live. It’s not right to be surrounded by crime and poverty, the government and local authorities are letting a lot of areas down.
Castleford is a place I would visit often (with work) in the late 80s and into the 90s. To me it always seemed like a grim place. Not the fault of the people living there and instead because of Government policy. The residents aren't that bad (I come from near Newcastle) and are a friendly bunch. Locals actually cared and tried as best they could but they were always up against it. Sadly, Castleford is now like many other towns - even here in the North East. Try visiting Ashington, Seaham, Hartlepool and a similar theme emerges. Basically anything North of Nottingham gets absolutely no help. The North South divide growing stronger by the day.
I have lived in Castleford for 16yrs. It's not as bad as it is made out to be. I have never felt in danger, once. It is run down in places but so is everywhere else. I would definitely feel less safe in any city in the UK. Knife crime has crept in over the last couple of years but it has everywhere. I used to live in Harrogate and knife crime happens there and drug use is much the same. The youths are the same everywhere, vandalism, drugs, petty crime. I would argue that the entire country is suffering a demise in social and cultural standards. Most of the buildings featured were outside of the town centre and I cant recall them ever being occupied whilst I have lived here. The town centre is much the same as anywhere else; half empty, consisting of the usual shop demographics.
No, everywhere else isn't run down. Only those people inhabitted by lazy and stupid people seem to suffer in this way. They have no sense of pride, either personal or civic so those whole community gets dragged down to their level. Anyone with intelligence, ambition or talent leaves which makes then concentrates the problems. Labour politicians from up north constantly moan about their towns not getting any investment but no one will ever think about investing in the place so it becomes worse and worse. It gets to the point when people thaen enjoy living in the ghetto of their own making.
As a Mancunian who lives in Cas since 1979, never felt unsafe like I have in parts of Manchester. blame Thatcher who deliberatly killed off most local industry
I live near Castleford, and as much as I hate to say it, this is an accurate video. It's not somewhere you should go late at night, it's just not safe anymore.
I’m from Castleford, moved to another one of the five towns at 12 then Australia in my 20s. Castleford has become very densely populated with houses being build on any spot of land they can find, it does look neglected and a bit run down, Wakey council seems to have forgotten about it a bit. Then they built that bridge when they could have cleaned the town up. Went there a few times on my last visit in July, did not feel unsafe or anything like that.
I have lived in Airedale for the past 15 years. The town centre of Castleford has been completely ruined over the years by the introduction of a drug and drunk addicts centre in the middle of town. The top end of town is now ghettoised due to mass immigration, leaving the bottom of town to the local feral kids. As the video shows Castleford & Pontefract in all its glory. Real locals now avoid our own area and go elsewhere. Where once people used to 'get ready to go into town' and know they would see family and friends while there, now it is a no go zone for us. All I can say is it's all true and thank you to Yvette Cooper!!!!!! Local MP you have ruined what was once a tight knit community of hard working salt of the earth people with your hippy, woke, diversity agenda. Just what this area did not need.
You are going to have to be careful when exploring these towns, cultural diversity is strong and we do not wish people to think you will be blaming that on the problems do we?
@@JDFuckinB Exactly! Park Hill & The Barbican for example may not be everyone's taste but they replicated neighbourliness of the terrace streets but ensured everyone private modern luxuries, inside toilet, cheap heating supply, spacious living spaces. . Every amenity such as shops, schools, doctors could be accessed without even getting wet if it was raining! A 15 Minute city before a 15 minute city was even a ' thing! Most homes was even built so the living spaces faced to the south for maximum sunlight, They even had recycling facilities before 'recycling' was a 'thing'
I place most of the blame on the epidemic of class A drugs. Once junkies and the dealers infest a neighbourhood it can quickly spiral downwards. Of course the attitude of police, politicians and ourselves also has a huge impact.
Tower blocks do not, by themselves, cause crime. Safe countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, massive tower blocks bang in the middle of their cities. But they also have justice systems where criminals are actually punished, where necessary brutally. And their governments don’t encourage their citizens to be obese, drugs-sozzled, inebriated layabouts on benefits - which DOES cause the sort of criminal dystopia you describe.
Places like Singapore have mixed housing with people from low incomes living near rich people. It’s the UK that’s tried to divide people since The milk snatcher was in charge, one reason why we are in such a mess now.
Also there's the economics of the place Singapore has public utilities and heavy investment, Pontefract and Castleford were both market and pit towns that lost their main industries with Thatcher and then just the rise of the internet. The other thing was the nearest Power stations but they've also been decommissioned. There's just not enough local jobs and the people in the tower flats would have to be able to walk or afford public transport.
Country is very dangerous nonone knows who is on our streets stabbings are now normal burglaries are ignored repe of children is never dealt with etc!one of the best countries in the world turded into the worst cesspit in the world thanks to dangerous people in parliament!!
I too live in Castleford. We have an amazing Roman history, which would top York any day. Over the years anything of Roman significance was sadly taken from Castleford and was given to other museums including York. Wakefield Council over the years have ignored the residents of Castleford, they have turned buildings in the town centre in to rehabilitation centre's / half way house for offenders recently released from prison. This has left our town full of drunken smack heads, who have terrorised the public in the town to the point no one wants to going shopping anymore. They fight in lumps in the centre of town during the day, leaving the elderly and children no option but witness this disgusting behaviour. The police have very few powers now to deal with these Neanderthals, thanks to all the do-gooders and human rights shite. As residents of Castleford, we too have the human right to be able to walk through our local town and feel safe, sadly this is not the case. Wakefield Council over the years have done nothing but take from our town and use it as a dumping ground. They have recently started to reinvest in Castleford and Pontefract, sadly this is a little to late. Basically my home town is a shit hole and dumping ground for all the undesirables no fooker else wants!
Nothing to do with doo gooders imbecile. It is all the fault of the Tories and started with Thatcher . Obviously in your case the strategy has worked ,I suppose you don't vote for the do gooder party ? Try education . Why assume everyone lives in the south of England. The whole of England is like this since Thatcher appeared on the scene. Arming the police turning them into a paramilitary force. Armed guards both military police and MOD police at all military facilities. Turning Britain into a mini USA keeping everyone frightened. All to get votes from gullible frightened voters , with their tough on crime and the causes of crime. All the while throwing fuel on the fire to deliberately cause problems. Latest being the imaginary boat gangs . Imaginary as this has gone on ever since they allowed along with Labour ,east European countries to join the EU. Mass immigration of alien cultures and a complete lack of understanding by elected members of parliament. With their " let the immigrants work" . Work at what ,they arrive get free housing and want to work on their doorstep. Whilst millions commute to work every day getting up very early arriving home late . Nobody cares and most are frightened to open a door at night. All created by the Tory party . Most places in western Europe do not see the levels of crime and violence that is seen in almost every town village and city in Britain. The country is run by immigrants for immigrants. Even the BBC has abandoned the English . Watching BBC global and BBC national news you have to wonder if England has any white English Christians left . As they are certainly not represented Even this present government is run by a man from a alien culture that believes in the cast system. Plus he is unelected by the population. Nothing English about England anymore .
I totally agree with everything you say here, it would be a wonderful place if all the undesirables were removed and the place were given a makeover, I enjoy going to the (very tiny) museum above the library in castleford there is a few roman items displayed there but agree with what you said about the bigger museums getting everything! I think the bondi beach building is beautiful and should be invested in and turned into maybe a museum so we can have more finds on display here, I have donated a few smaller finds to the castleford museum which show our amazing history, like very old marbles, Jack's, coins,old bottles etc as you find lots just by field walking every now and again after ploughing, also found pit pony shoes,old mining weights,clay pipes and other mine related items I just love it, Just not the people so much nowadays.
I was born in Dewsbury, which is on the other side of Wakefield from Castleford and Pontefract, in 1946. I moved to the south of England in 1970 but used to return to the Dewsbury/Huddersfield area periodically to visit relatives. But they have all now passed on and I haven't been to West Yorkshire for almost twenty years.. From what I have heard and seen on videos, the former industrial areas are, very sadly, best avoided altogether.
The Huddersfield area is actually not that bad. It's not great, but improving. However, Castleford & Pontefract are worse than ever. The whole of Wakefield is a massive shithole.
@@CJ-dg6uc I lived in Heckmondwike for many years prior to moving out of West Yorkshire. My mother was living in Birstall at the time of her death and my brother was living in Birkenshaw at the time of his. My favourite cousin lived all her life in Huddersfield. The West Yorkshire former industrial towns still retain their magnificent Victorian architectural heritage but, very sadly, there is little else that can be said in their favour.
@Queensburyheights I lived on dale Lane estate for years I live in Heckmondwike Town centre now Heckmondwike is a bit better than batley and dewsbury but its going the same way as them
@@CJ-dg6uc We lived in Leyburn Avenue on Dale Lane Estate. I moved out of West Yorkshire and my brother got married and moved to Birstall before moving to Birkenshaw where he lived until his premature death. After my father died my mother moved to Birstall where she spent the rest of her life. My favourite cousin lived all her life in Huddersfield and passed on many years ago. I had a couple of other cousins living in Batley but I haven't seen them for over 50 years. I moved to London in mid 1972 and then moved to Jamaica in the Caribbean at the end of 2006. I returned to London at the end of 2008 and ever since then I have lived in Stamford Hill which by London standards is not a bad area. I will be 78 in August and so am too old to move now.
@andycommonsincanada Were you West Yorkshire born and bred? Like with a long family connection to the region? It's interesting that you "saw it coming" from about 2003 -- and clearly didn't believe things were going to turn around. What do you believe are the five or six main factors that have created these poverty and crime riddled towns?
Cas Vegas and Ponte Carlo! I’m from Wakefield originally and left for the Barossa valley in south Australia 10 years ago because the country was going down the pan
The crime rate is high because the MP (Yvette Cooper) approved a centre for addicts and drunks right in the town centre….the result was a massive spike in crime especially shop lifting! As a consequence, retailers are deserting the town, with Marks & Spencer being the latest to close down! And the future? Yes, another centre for “troubled” people being planned with accommodation for 19!
I don’t know how many things I can disagree with in just one comment, but here goes: 1. MPs don’t generally have any input AT ALL in where rehab centres are placed. That’s a decision for the local authority’s planning department. So direct your words to Wakefield Council rather than blaming your MP. 2. Have rehab centres been opened in Castleford because the town needs it? Answer: yes, probably. All towns these days will need to provide help for people to recover from addictions and the spiral of debt/crime etc that drugs and drink create. 3. Given that there’s a need for such centres, where do you suggest they should be placed? In the towns where they’re needed is the best plan. And not in the middle of residential areas, as people don’t tend to want them near where they live. That means town centres are the best option, because not that many people actually *live* in the centre of towns. 4. Shops don’t pull out of a town just because of shoplifting. They pull out because the store is no longer profitable, and because people’s shopping habits have changed - more and more online purchases and out-of-town retail parks. There are always people talking about how the centre of Cas is dead these days. And that’s why good, decent shops like M&S have gone.
Maria……I live in Castleford. Firstly our MP is on record as supporting the councils decision to put an addicts centre here. Secondly, it’s called the “5 towns centre” because it deals with addicts from…you guessed it, 5 towns! And shops are pulling out of this town because they aren’t profitable and that’s due to high shop lifting rates! Most shops here are independents, not big high street names and they can’t afford to replace the stock that is stolen! The only reason Yvette Cooper was re elected in 2019 is because the Tories and Brexit party split the centre right vote which was 6000 higher than she got. She will be gone at the next election and I for one will be cheering from the roof tops!
@@nickwhitehead3873 A few responses to your rather selective reply: 1. Yvette Cooper said she supported the council's decision. That's a very different thing from 'Yvette Cooper approved a centre...'. (Because Yvette Cooper didn't have any say in the decision itself - she was just saying she agreed with it once it had been made by the council.) 2. Castleford isn't the only place in the 5 Towns to have a rehab centre. There are ones in Wakefield too. So it's not like Cas is being used as a dumping ground for ALL the addicts in the area. 3. You have no evidence at all to suggest that M&S closed its store because of shoplifting (which is what you said in the original comment). Smaller independent shops, yes, I'm sure they do have shoplifting problems. 4. I have no idea why you believe that either the Tories or any other right-wing party will be better for Castleford than Labour, but that's completely your decision!
Ah, it's the ethnics' fault. I imagine we can chart the decline of Cas town centre back to the very first day an ethnic person moved in to Castleford eh?
@@TerraNova1967unfortunately this guy’s opinion is shared by many across the area who don’t understand the real reasons for urban decline and are looking for others to blame…
As someone from Wakefield Cas Vegas and Ponte Carlo as there called aren't anything as bad as the video portrays. Infact that is the worst I've seen off Cas ever. Plenty of.other dumps as in Dewsbury which I lived for many years and parts of Bradistan, parts of Bradford are just like they looked 30 years ago in Rita sue and Bob too.
I wish I knew about those niknames before, that’s had me in stitches! Obviously, ‘bad’ can be subjective. Which is why I include real crime and social stats. There are worse places, of course, and I have a long hit list to work through. Although strictly on crime stats these two towns top West Yorks. I was going to go to Hull this weekend to visit one of Europe’s largest council estates but something came up (I didn’t bottle it, honest).
Yep you certainly are a local, I worked at the Xscape fitting the cinema seating must be 15 years ago and I remember this old fella on site who educated us southerners to the local nicknames ha ha He said to me once "it's great to come from Cas Vegas" what he meant was to leave the place, he was funny certainly lifted our day , I did a multiplex cinema at Bradford as well and the firm we was working for put us in a digs above a pub in a bloody warzone it was at the time of the riots there I remember the landlord came to the bar to check us in and he had his arm in a sling and his face was all smashed up, yep we only stayed the one night! such fond memories 😂
@@ukexplored Brandsholme and Warne was the biggest housing estate in Europe, my friends friend lived there and at the end of a block of houses was a dragon tin sprayed on the wall with an arrow pointing which way to go to score a certain substance that grows in Afghanistan, back then around 280,000 to 300,000 people lived there if I remember well...
@ukexplored ..I'd take a suit of armour with you buddy..I live in a area just out wakey...and deliver in and around both those towns...its very sad to see the deprivation...but the ordinary everyday folk are spot on..there's always an element of drug use and crime in towns up and down the country...its just that there's more in ponte and cas..!
I’ve taken my Mum shopping dozens of times in Pontefract. Never seen any trouble and the people there are friendly. I suspect most of the problems occur away from the town centre. I find it a nice place to visit.
I'm from Chiswick in London where the white collar crime rate overshadows all else. No stabbings, petty theft nor much shoplifting, just rich people stabbing each other in the back, robbing the poor blind and shady property deals, not to mention high end drugs.😢
cas isnt even that bad as ur making it lol, you could maybe show the sought after areas in castleford like queens park drive and ferrybridge road, so many nice houses down there, and spittal hardwick lane which leads from castleford to ponte. xscape and junction 32 are also nice for a meal or a quick shop too, its just the town centre thats a let down which is a shame
What you have carefully avoided saying, the elephant in the room, is the overwhelmingly high numbers of Eastern Europeans who descended on these towns over the years thanks to Tony Blair's open door policy who worked on farms undercutting local people's wages and depressing wages and the economy generally. When the jobs on farms started drying up they did not go home and what you see today is a direct result of Blair's policy.
@@freebornaiden7666 Who had to draw the line at the ridiculous subsidisation of an industry that was costing taxpayers billions. Thatcher grasped the nettle Labour planted and were afraid of.
@@freebornaiden7666 Mining, Glass and Chemicals, and all the associated industries, and suppliers all wjped out by the de-industrialisation of the country by the Tories
Same story in East Anglia - using the old LIE "Came to do the jobs Brits don't want to do". LIES the recruitment is done abroad! White British nationals are not even given a chance of an interview locally no ads nothing! Also disgustingly government FUNDED RECRUITMENT AGENCIES to recruit abroad i.e. Eastern Europe - they also have a scheme to get people from outside the EEA such as Mexico - Columbia - Bangladesh India etc. TO LEARN ENGLISH IN SITU & the local councils & colleges (colleges paid more per foreign student a head than Brit National) are in cahoots to provide the "Learn English in situ" students with housing. Colleges & Councils do deals with private landlords AND deals with big global coffee shops Starbucks etc. to give part time jobs to said 'students' saving huge tax payments for the big global companies and they have a constant flow of easily replaceable part-timers!
Chapletown and Heyfields was rough back in the day, we used go to the gaiety bar, got busted just after we'd scored some nice soft black from there by Leeds vice squad on the dual carriage way upside of the geiety bar, never stopped us going back lol
This is what happens when thriving mining towns are wiped out due to stupid Green policy and the rise of internet shopping. 6 1/2 miles west of the two towns sits Amazon new mega delivery hub which is 8 acres big ironically sitting on Pontefract Lane going out of Leeds!
Yeah, I’ve seen it in a number of spots around the country. I can still see how this was an awesome town under the surface. Amazon has a lot to answer for.
You are really thick as shit the mines wasn't closed down for a green policy at all it was Thatcher closing them because the miners brought down the Tory government in 1974 and they didn't want workers to have any power to do it again
@@sandrafinbar I'm happy to say that I too am glad to have held back on the whole world domination by Amazon thing. People have become almost addicted to 'next day delivery' - which is nearly obscene when you examine the human supply chain that makes that happen.
@@comealongcomealong4480 most definitely. Bad wages and conditions as well as more delivery trucks on the roads. All workers including the drivers are put under a lot of pressure to get those parcels out. In the meantime the shops and community are shutting down taking the life out of the town.
Just a sidenote here from a former WY police officer. WYP records crimes for things that are none crimes. If someone gets upset and calls the police because kids are playing football on the street it gets recorded as a crime. Had multiple people try and say kids were playing football maliciously and that they were doing it to discriminate against them racially. Also kids playing in the park across from their house were being too loud etc.
West Yorks is very big and I know upfront neither Cas or Ponte are the most dangerous You would have to look at violent crime statistics not just overall crime
It's a total myth that you only find places like this 'up north'. I live near Aldershot - you'd be hard pressed to find a more poverty stricken, depressing place.
I’m in castleford 5 to 6 days a week never seen anything the crime rate in Castleford and Pontefract is no worse than Wakefield,Normanton ,Featherstone ,and Knottingley or any other town in the UK
Castleford was a great town and Pontefract was seen to be more upmarket than Castleford in the good years. Castleford has been the victim of bouts of spontaneous combustion such as the much loved Market Hall, the lovely old Welbeck Street School, Whitwood Technical College, which was excellent, and the old picture house. Both proud mining towns, like many such industrial towns, they have suffered greatly by regressive politics and badly targeted investment. Things have got so bad that being a councillor or politician these days carries no kudos whatsoever, in fact the opposite applies. I grew up in Castleford and have very fond memories of the people and what we once had. Towns like these need public involvement if things are to change for the better.
I live in Airedale just outside Castleford, one day just after lockdown lifted I went into town to go shopping & got attacked then had to have trauma surgery to fix the fractures with steel plates & pins, now only time I go into Castleford is if I have to visit my GP, I just go to the surgery then back home as fast as possible & do all my shopping online because I'm scared to go shopping in town now after that experience
27 Sept 2022 - Wakefield Council Leader Denise Jeffery described feeling frightened during a visit to Castleford town centre earlier this year...... says it all.
Wow, you walk around pontefract not once going into the town center. Your video shows the back of the shops and then makes out that your in the center. Courthouse is closed down, so it doesn't get that busy.
Court House is definitely closed down, one of my friends is a magistrate who worked there. He now takes all his cases in Leeds. What is a bit bizarre is that the opulent antiques market it now houses is beyond the price range of most . Example : antique Napoleonic Dragoon guard's helmet - a mere snip at £400. In Ponty ??!! This market belongs in Knightsbridge London.
Born and raised in Castleford, lived in Moscow, Russia for many years, Castleford is worse, i can say. HOWEVER, not for any crime that ever happened to me, just the deprivation, which has sadly taken over due to local councils not caring, and a few bad apples in the community.
@RedOakCrow let's say that there are bad habits among a certain segment, which are passed along to the next generation. Sticky fingers, chemical habits etc. I stress that it really is less than 0.01%, but it gives all a bad name and reputation
I also used to live in Moscow, for around 8 years on and off. I can honestly say it felt much safer and more relaxed than many places in my home country.
@djjonnymoore5861 indeed. 7 years for me, and a year elsewhere in Russia. I loved it there, safe everywhere, even at 2 in the morning. Won't be going for a short while though! For obvious reasons
@@stephenjon3502 not in my experience of the town's I've lived in; Labour by far the worst, Lib Dem not as bad as you'd imagine, Con some good some bad. A small sample of about ten, granted, but all the labour-run towns were shite without exception.
@@stephenjon3502 could well be.... Except that under the last Labour central nose-in-trough government, the same labour-run councils were also cesspits of squalor and corruption, so, you know, empiricism and all that. Like I said, I'm only going on the towns I've lived in, I recognised the limited sample size but I'm trying to be objective, rather than your triggered response IT'S ALL THE TORIES' FAULT.
As someone who grew up in Airedale/castleford it really has become a dangerous place I’m one of the known people for my love of building Dalek props out on the street/area .. over the years I’ve sort of grown a name for myself which is the only thing people know me as but I’ve had to slowly stop doing patrols with my Daleks and prop work due to amount of times I’ve almost been attacked by youths and disrespected by them because of my hobbie I try my best to keep away from their well known areas But at the end of the day I know there are many who still love my work even if I brighten a few peoples faces over the years and for what I’ve in store in film making here soon with my props Eventually I do want to move to London due to my dress code (formal/casual) and feel I belong to a big city rather than a small town for how niche my work is It used to be a wonderful town but with the price of things and lack of engineering and craftsmanship as a dying trade the town has slowly become a ghost town with gangs and druggies but eventually that should sort itself out Cameron
Cameron PLEASE, PLEASE!! do all you can to move away and grow. If you stay where you are the angry, bitter people will suck the joy from you. Save, beg, borrow, but get out and FIND YOUR PLACE...I wish you luck.❤
London? As someone that is from Castleford, whitwood I've worked in London and tbh it's not really better. Just more expensive, and still just as bad. It's out of the frying pan and into the fire I'm afraid.
Cameron - I've just moved from Castleford 5 weeks ago to the east coast. I lived in Castleford for over 20 years and used to love the town and it's people. Don't move to a city! Trust me they are no better. As another commenter has said move to the country. Nobody judges you out here and it would suit you much better. Btw I think I know who you are and have seen you about. Keep your chin up mate and make plans to escape as soon as you can 👍🏻
Couple of days ago my Sat nav misdirected me whilst traveling home from Whitby to Loughborough and I ended up in Pontefract. It was my first time in 80yrs I'd been anywhere near the place. I didn't think it looked too bad; living there I suppose might be a different experience.
Hope you enjoyed this video! If you have any feedback or comments, we'd love to hear them! Do you live in Yorkshire, are you familiar with any of these areas? Your feedback is valuable to the audience, please share.
it would be really interesting for videos on areas of big cities like bristol, birmingham, london etc! it would also be interesting to see nice or ‘posh’ areas too! love your channel keep up good work😊
Try wakefield becoming a ghost town! Took our market away ®ular carboots , but trying to be very arty farty with the hepworth centre , sculture park , pugneys water park etc:: dead as a door knocker town centre used to be really busy you can count the number of people now ! We even have a star walk of fame jane mcdonald , bill nelson of be bop deluxe, neil fox good old rugby league player, wakefield council too pc to do any good ! They all need retraining how to treat their citizens my famiy have lived in wakey for 700 hundred years all turning in their graves now sadly !! Ooh yes we have alcatraz top secrurity jail in the uk dont miss that place lolxx!
Wakefield and it’s surrounding areas has been hard by poverty, but it doesn’t have the most dangerous towns in WY no way, for that title I’d be looking into the areas surrounding Huddersfield, Bradford, Halifax or Leeds
Cas Is definitely a mess but I’ve never felt in danger in the town centre. I’ve walked home after Cas games or gigs in Lion and it’s mostly quiet. My view is it’s the ferrel kids causing most of the crime/vandalism and once they’re tucked up in bed it’s ok. The inadequate police need to get their act together and start tackling crime it it’s going to get worse.
Burton horrified me 18 years back, not sure what it is like now. It looked liked your images on here though. Those buildings look like Mexican prisons.
In the UK the justice system is to blame for rising crime rates. Criminals are treated as ‘victims’ of society are let off with meaningless ineffective sentences instead of being put behind bars for years. Every crime from burglary to murder, and everything in between, should have a FIXED MINIMUM jail term which must be served and a list of crimes and the jail term displayed in shops, post offices, banks etc. That would bring crime down. For example a burglar may know that the MAXIMUM sentence he is likely to get is a fine or and perhaps 5 years in jail. If this was changed to a MINIMUM of 10 years jail wouldn’t that make them stop and think twice!
My parents live in Castleford and I grew up in pontefract and left about 14/15 years ago now I think. I hated it at the time but looking back I have fond memories now. Having lived in major cities like Birmingham and Manchester since, i never really felt unsafe wandering round pontefract at night in comparison. There were always scraps in town at the weekends, but usually if you weren't looking for it then they were avoidable. Was started on a few times but after not rising to it and walking away they would get bored and move on. I loved hanging out in the counting house and we had a really good music scene there around 05-08ish. It was a bit of a shithole and I'm surprised the building didn't fall down but I have fond memories. Yeah it's a bit of a crap town but aren't most small towns a bit shit and there is usually charm in that 😅
You make fair points, and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed growing up in these areas. How much does it look like - or you know - the area has degraded since you left? I'm going to be going back, so I'll check out Big Fellas if I'm there late, but it does sound like a stitch up 🙃
I have spent all my life in Castleford and I hate to admit that this video is a fair reflection of the state of the area - It's true that a picture paints a thousand words. I just wish our limelight loving M.P. Yvette Cooper gets to see it and reflects on how the towns of Castleford and Pontefract have been allowed to degenerate under her 26 year tenure... How proud she and her Labour councillors who run the area must be of their achievements!
@@smudgersmith1786 Of course they have! They're deliberately giving less money to the Labour areas, and insisting that more and more things are funded by the council tax. Councils just don't have the money to do everything that they need to do.
I live between Castleford and Pontefract. I can confirm that the town centres are very run down. For a variety of reasons. (Wakefield city centre is equally grim.) But I've never felt unsafe walking around the town centres at any time of day night. In fact, Pontefract centre is great for a pub crawl! Go for a jaunt out of the town centres in some of the urban sprawl like in Airedale or Chequerfield estates. Then it's a different story. That's pretty much standard for any town or city round here. FYI all the buildings in Castleford that are boarded up next to the river that you filmed are due to be demolished for a planned riverside regeneration scheme.
Castleford had a huge landscaping architecture project that had a world famous ‘starchitect’ designer come and make an even bigger mess of it. Pontefract has its own castle, the town still has buildings dating back to the Georgian period I believe. But both the towns suffered greatly from the 1960’s form and function style of architecture and town planning which destroyed much of the original structures in favour of concrete facades, which we now know to be detrimental to social behaviour, and that’s without mentioning the decline of the pits.
Spot on, the pits closing all round the area have had a massive impact with relatively little to replace the lost employment. I’m surprised he didn’t go to Knottingley - Warwick estate, enough said! If there was more left of the Castle in Ponte I think it would have ended up similar to the market towns in North Yorkshire, but like you said urban planning ruined the centre
I have just checked this guy out, he is a grifter “buy me a coffee” is just begging. It’s also a coincidence that all his videos begin with the worst town, most dangerous town etc. sensationalism with no foundation, half of what he showed in the Castleford section is boarded up ready for demolition as part of the Riverside regeneration. In short this film maker talks bollocks to grab your attention and scam you out of a few quid. I am a Cas lad and proud of that. His bullshit is better ignored than watched, facts don’t matter to the prat. Viva Cas Vegas
I did look it up at the time and am acutely aware of how a lot of people feel about the demographics and immigration across Yorkshire but decided not to focus on it with these towns. I think we will be visiting more towns and cities in and around Yorkshire and we’ll take a deeper dive into diversity.
@@ukexplored It's not diversity mate it's geography and sociology. As far as I'm concerned, statistical data speaks to the circumstances not your own inclinations, however I acknowledge the rest of the world seems to think and behave like 13 yr old girls. 🤣🤣🤣👍
@@ukexplored ps I grew up round Boston in Lincolnshire that might be an interesting place to look at re: crime rates and demography due to the rapidity of change from all English to all and sundry.
Biggest place near me is Reading. Few weeks ago we left a club and there was a scuffle happening with a bouncer. Didn't think anything of it. Next day in the news turns out not long after we passed the guy in that fight pulled a knife and stabbed someone. Few weeks before that a machete gang was roaming the streets smashing stuff. Ah England.
Im from south elmsall our postal address is pontefract, the reason all these areas have fallen on bad times is solely down to the closure of the collieries, all the villages and all the towns are the same, 1000s upon 1000s suddenly had no job but a nominal amount of cash somevtried to set businesses up many failed it hit the high streets and markets in a way you wouldn't understand ive lived through the prosperous times but after the pits shut it was a decline until what you see now, our small towns and villages took the hit and never recovered.
I live in Castleford and I think you’re just looking in the wrong place as the town centre does have a high crime rate, but that is mostly young teens that don’t know much where I live as a very nice peaceful area of Castleford and there is no litter and no crime at all Everybody is also very polite
Clickbait title, this guy dont know what rough is, if he thinks these are the roughest towns in West Yorkshire he hasn't seen much. Again, RUclips bullshit.
This video was in my recommendations and what do you know it's my hometown hahah! Cas wasn't that bad a few years ago, there are actually some neighbourhoods that are nice and have great people in them but however there are a few patches here and there. I go to the rugby matches which are usually on a Friday and had no issues or trouble with anyone so far.
probably due to high unemployment (mine closures etc.), problems getting benefits, police turning a blind eye etc. etc.etc. when the rot sets in it spreads like wildfire... this is one of those towns that really needs some of that tory 'leveling up'... question is when will it happen, my money is on - never...
@@stephenjon3502 Globalism closed the industrial capacity and shipped the manufacturing plants to cheaper, poorer countries to exploit them and brought cheap labor to bring down wages and up housing prices... all over the country. Exploitative capitalism=crony capitalism=globalism=WEF=elites=the end of the Westphalian system/state=erosion of idiosyncrasy=multiculturalism. A Wal-Mart Society... cheap, poor and in the ghetto.
It seems all the attempts at regenerating Ponte/Cas have failed. Shame really. Then again, most ex mining towns, villages, haven't recovered since the pit closures. Regeneration will only work if the whole community, not just the few, have their hearts in it.
I was born in Castleford and lived there until c1980. Even back then jobs were in short supply. I headed for London and stayed there. It's been about 15 years since I went back for a visit and on the evidence of this video, it doesn't look all that tempting.
@@footballfanar9717 If that were true I'd have come back. Sadly, it isn't. There are some horrible areas of London but mostly I've managed to avoid having to live in them for long.
@@ironjade I certainly wouldn't recommend going back. As I say, Cas' is vile. However, I've certainly never understood the hype around London. My preference has always been the North. As long as you avoid shitty market towns like Castleford, it's grand up here.
V interesting ! Pontefract is my home town and i love it but no idea the crime stats were so bad. Things seem to have declined a lot recently,lots of druggies and shoplifters around coupled with closure of police stations in town.
Yeah, I’m a parent, these are all things that worry me about the future and the opportunities my children will have. I hope to make an impact for the better somehow, in some small way. Not sure exactly how yet.
Hi one detail was wrong in the video ,the court house is no longer a court house it closed down with the police station about 10 years ago its now a charity shop ,gues that's what happens when the law enforcement leave town theres the result, I was born in pontefract and left 2 years ago the best thing about cas and ponty is the road out ot it ,
Thanks for that info. The building is still called the courthouse and was listed as open, that’s my bad. I couldn’t pop in as it was a Sunday I filmed.
Castleford sounds so idyllic to this American. It was interesting to see the buildings on "the other side of the river", like we say "the other side of the tracks, they looked upscale and peaceful.
I live in Carleton, bordering pontefract and for my whole life I have only seen one crime being committed, but as a whole in my view and opinion Pomtefract is a nice place it just needs to be kept up with the standards around the uk. However I do not like the council estates around pontefract e.g checkerfeild and the massive apartment buildings as it ruins the view from a far as I would rather see the churches clock tower and pontefract castle
There used to be a bit of money knocking around Cas in the 60s, 70s and 80s because of the pits that used to surround the town, but Maggie and her cronies put a end to that, and the place has never recovered and never will if money from the council and government isn't available, it all goes on wakefield when most council tax payers live in the 5 towns around wakefield. Cas isn't by itself either, there are lots of old mining towns up here in the same state 😢
I live near Pontefract Castleford they were Mining villages and other industries there's not much now Yvette Cooper's been MP for many years the Mills in Cas were she has her office is getting a revamp adding to the drugs and crime she will fetch more Illegal Imagrants in to these villages and it will be a great place 😔
Is the aim of this show to try and discreetly insinuate that west yorkshire's two most crime ridden areas are Pontefract and Castleford !! This is a play on percentages when you consider that there are council estates in Leeds that are equal in population to both towns , and I'll tell you this , I'd sooner take my chance walking round Pontefract/Castleford on a night than say : harehills , chapletown , gipton , Beeston the list goes on. The only reason I could think that they would do this , is in an effort to try and suggest that west Yorkshires two most dangerous places are populated by mostly white people , (for anyone who doesn't know Pontefract /Castleford are largely white areas) , And before anyone says it , I'm not saying Pontefract/Castleford are perfect , but let's not pretend that there is not far more worse places than them .
There wasn’t a hidden agenda here, Carolarmer. Im from far south, so I asked someone from Yorkshire what they thought the two ‘worst‘ areas were and they named these two places, the crime stats also backed that up. But there are a lot of elements that go into it, some of which is subjective. We’re going to be exploring way more places in the coming months across Yorkshire and more and will be comparing them. I added the places you mentioned to my list!
I live in Castleford, have done all my life, and i think you've hit the nail on the head with the reasons why the town has fallen by the wayside. I'm in no position to slate people at the poverty line because I'm really not much richer, but most of the crime comes from the age group of 14-30, mostly from young aspiring roadmen or chavs stuck in 2006 despite nearing their thirties. Lots of fights and hair trigger yobs who get mad at the maintenance of any eye sight whatsoever. half way houses everywhere, rehab centres, and what does it cause? With nothing to do and no job opportunities in the town itself, it's turned into a ghost town for the elderly and young adults who are miserable that they have to live here. We have a big alternative scene with a local music festival and plenty of pubs catering to bikers and metalheads, but we get our fair share of harassment from the same kinds of chavs that killed Sophie Lancaster 16 years ago. Miserable place really, but it has its ups. Electrictown is a cool little shop, theres a place to play warhammer, there's nice walking woods and a nature reserve nearby in fairburn. But thats really all there is to the place. Leeds is nearby and much better in every regard.
Appreciate you taking the time to share your honest thoughts as someone who lives here, I hope this helps answer some of the questions and assumptions being thrown around here, defo deserves a pinning!
God bless u and Ur family the town is full of fine people but I can't believe pound stretcher is shut if u can't run a discount store what can u do
Well Leeds is Yorkshire’s economic capital. So that could be one reason why Leeds is better. As some from Leeds even we have problems too.
@@ukexploredplease I’ll be coming to teach in castleford is it advisable based on its crime rate cos I have 3 little boys with me
@@ibphysicsclassroom well, obviously you can avoid a lot of the problems, as is the case with most areas. I'd research where you're going to be living though, only makes sense, right?
In the 1960's my parents had a pub in Castleford, it's so depressing to see what the town has now become.
Yeah it is. I didn’t know it back then, but I can only imagine. I deliberately didn’t film the homeless and troubled people I saw at the bus stations, but it didn’t feel safe at all there.
@@ukexplored ........they should scoop them all up at bus stations and drop them into giant human sized food blenders as they are a waste of oxygen.
@@geoffdundee Shame that,, 70 years ago you would have found gainful employment wearing a nice German uniform. And then on liberation day I'd get to slap your face with 0 legal repercussions .
@@geoffdundee You sound like Prince Philip ranting about all us peasants including YOU!
@@geoffdundeeOh but the WOKE brigade will be there screaming at you that you’re a horrid nasty person for even thinking such a thing 🤔
Various governments have destroyed our industrial heritage.
This is the result.
Thanks for that 😢
Come on, is there anything more quintessentially British than the spirit of overcoming the bad times? 😀🇬🇧
@@ukexplored War is a lot more different than self inflicted harm UK. Leaving the EU has added years onto our recovery from Covid and Ukraine.
There are lots of small towns in the UK that seem to have ended up as open sewers.
The police just generally avoid doing anything because it adds to their crime statistics, and it makes them look poor at keeping law & order, so it becomes better to turn a blind eye.
nah nah poilce are to busy making sure you dont misgender someone or dont post a offensive joke on twitter someone because that all the woke police are interested in these day
So you think reports to the police aren't recorded? Really? You don't know much about policing do you.
@@bobbiescrisps9208 Of course! But I was just explaining how I think their system works. Blair introduced 'targets' so this is a consequence.
@@ColinBarrett001 Nor do you. Em... Remember Manchester and the police loosing all those 'crimes'.
Do you people think we are all low IQ idiots or something?
Targets and measurements have ruined so much. The measured things get way too much focus, other things get worse.
From Leeds originally. Glad to see Ponte Carlo and Cas Vegas still doing us in West Yorksire doing us proud 🙌
Growing up in Pontefract, I'd never really considered it dangerous compared to the stories I'd hear of elsewhere in England. I just assumed every small town was like that, with kids starting on people and druggies around each corner. I got used to it I guess since I'd walk past them every day to get to and from High School. Then I moved out for university, to York, and it was like whiplash seeing how different it was. It was a lot safer, and although you still had some of the same issues with the youth, it's much better.
Yeah, too many people say that certain areas ‘aren’t that bad’ because they think it’s the norm.
It’s not until you travel or live elsewhere that you really appreciate- or not- where you live.
It’s not right to be surrounded by crime and poverty, the government and local authorities are letting a lot of areas down.
Castleford is a place I would visit often (with work) in the late 80s and into the 90s. To me it always seemed like a grim place. Not the fault of the people living there and instead because of Government policy. The residents aren't that bad (I come from near Newcastle) and are a friendly bunch. Locals actually cared and tried as best they could but they were always up against it.
Sadly, Castleford is now like many other towns - even here in the North East. Try visiting Ashington, Seaham, Hartlepool and a similar theme emerges. Basically anything North of Nottingham gets absolutely no help. The North South divide growing stronger by the day.
Yep,although I live south of London and we get exactly the same amount of help here,as in bugger all,I think the money only ends up in a few places.
So the idiots running around commiting crimes and threatening to knife people have nothing at all to do with the state of the place?
I have lived in Castleford for 16yrs. It's not as bad as it is made out to be. I have never felt in danger, once. It is run down in places but so is everywhere else. I would definitely feel less safe in any city in the UK. Knife crime has crept in over the last couple of years but it has everywhere. I used to live in Harrogate and knife crime happens there and drug use is much the same. The youths are the same everywhere, vandalism, drugs, petty crime. I would argue that the entire country is suffering a demise in social and cultural standards. Most of the buildings featured were outside of the town centre and I cant recall them ever being occupied whilst I have lived here. The town centre is much the same as anywhere else; half empty, consisting of the usual shop demographics.
Looks like a right shit ole to me 😂
No, everywhere else isn't run down. Only those people inhabitted by lazy and stupid people seem to suffer in this way. They have no sense of pride, either personal or civic so those whole community gets dragged down to their level. Anyone with intelligence, ambition or talent leaves which makes then concentrates the problems. Labour politicians from up north constantly moan about their towns not getting any investment but no one will ever think about investing in the place so it becomes worse and worse. It gets to the point when people thaen enjoy living in the ghetto of their own making.
I agree, these type of videos do nothing to help.
@@Paul-eb4jp There's nothing wrong with truth. The town reflects the people as do the traitors in Parliament.
@@colvinator1611😊
These places are not dangerous, they're suffering from lack of investment like much of the North.
Oh come on mate, they are. Normanton is like Basra with chips.
As a Mancunian who lives in Cas since 1979, never felt unsafe like I have in parts of Manchester. blame Thatcher who deliberatly killed off most local industry
I live near Castleford, and as much as I hate to say it, this is an accurate video. It's not somewhere you should go late at night, it's just not safe anymore.
Who is committing the crimes?
@@gazjonzeThe old age pensioners.
All the same. What a country! What went wrong😂
@@bumberClart1000 We know what went wrong.
@@Oliverklozov13 tell me about it Oswald 😊 I’m all ears
I’m from Castleford, moved to another one of the five towns at 12 then Australia in my 20s. Castleford has become very densely populated with houses being build on any spot of land they can find, it does look neglected and a bit run down, Wakey council seems to have forgotten about it a bit. Then they built that bridge when they could have cleaned the town up.
Went there a few times on my last visit in July, did not feel unsafe or anything like that.
Grooming gangs were operating out of Keighley when I lived there 30 years ago.
Nothing has changed.
Keighley is about 30 miles away from Cas lol
I have lived in Airedale for the past 15 years. The town centre of Castleford has been completely ruined over the years by the introduction of a drug and drunk addicts centre in the middle of town. The top end of town is now ghettoised due to mass immigration, leaving the bottom of town to the local feral kids. As the video shows Castleford & Pontefract in all its glory. Real locals now avoid our own area and go elsewhere. Where once people used to 'get ready to go into town' and know they would see family and friends while there, now it is a no go zone for us.
All I can say is it's all true and thank you to Yvette Cooper!!!!!! Local MP you have ruined what was once a tight knit community of hard working salt of the earth people with your hippy, woke, diversity agenda. Just what this area did not need.
You could do a number of vids like this covering the worst parts of the Oldham, Rochdale and Dewsbury areas.
Yes, we’re going to get out around those areas for sure.
@@ukexplored and Batley
You are going to have to be careful when exploring these towns, cultural diversity is strong and we do not wish people to think you will be blaming that on the problems do we?
You are right about Rochdale & Oldham also Bolton, I’m glad I live in Bury.
@@swaldron5558 Is Bury any different?!
All those architects who designed those delightful tower blocks should be held accountable! Truly disgusting!
But some are well designed. The main problem isn't bricks, concrete and mortar, it's people!
@@z28141😛😜😗😝🤪🥴😁😂😆🤣😭💯😎
The Protocols of Zoos Inside Ordinary Neighbourhoods.
@@JDFuckinB Exactly! Park Hill & The Barbican for example may not be everyone's taste but they replicated neighbourliness of the terrace streets but ensured everyone private modern luxuries, inside toilet, cheap heating supply, spacious living spaces. .
Every amenity such as shops, schools, doctors could be accessed without even getting wet if it was raining! A 15 Minute city before a 15 minute city was even a ' thing!
Most homes was even built so the living spaces faced to the south for maximum sunlight, They even had recycling facilities before 'recycling' was a 'thing'
The architects of these grim blocks should be made to live there.
I place most of the blame on the epidemic of class A drugs. Once junkies and the dealers infest a neighbourhood it can quickly spiral downwards. Of course the attitude of police, politicians and ourselves also has a huge impact.
Tower blocks do not, by themselves, cause crime. Safe countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, massive tower blocks bang in the middle of their cities. But they also have justice systems where criminals are actually punished, where necessary brutally. And their governments don’t encourage their citizens to be obese, drugs-sozzled, inebriated layabouts on benefits - which DOES cause the sort of criminal dystopia you describe.
Well said.
I think it might be the vermin in them. Lets face it, there's no piss in the lifts before they move in.
Places like Singapore have mixed housing with people from low incomes living near rich people. It’s the UK that’s tried to divide people since The milk snatcher was in charge, one reason why we are in such a mess now.
U NAILED IT
Also there's the economics of the place Singapore has public utilities and heavy investment, Pontefract and Castleford were both market and pit towns that lost their main industries with Thatcher and then just the rise of the internet. The other thing was the nearest Power stations but they've also been decommissioned. There's just not enough local jobs and the people in the tower flats would have to be able to walk or afford public transport.
Country is very dangerous nonone knows who is on our streets stabbings are now normal burglaries are ignored repe of children is never dealt with etc!one of the best countries in the world turded into the worst cesspit in the world thanks to dangerous people in parliament!!
I too live in Castleford. We have an amazing Roman history, which would top York any day. Over the years anything of Roman significance was sadly taken from Castleford and was given to other museums including York. Wakefield Council over the years have ignored the residents of Castleford, they have turned buildings in the town centre in to rehabilitation centre's / half way house for offenders recently released from prison. This has left our town full of drunken smack heads, who have terrorised the public in the town to the point no one wants to going shopping anymore. They fight in lumps in the centre of town during the day, leaving the elderly and children no option but witness this disgusting behaviour. The police have very few powers now to deal with these Neanderthals, thanks to all the do-gooders and human rights shite. As residents of Castleford, we too have the human right to be able to walk through our local town and feel safe, sadly this is not the case. Wakefield Council over the years have done nothing but take from our town and use it as a dumping ground. They have recently started to reinvest in Castleford and Pontefract, sadly this is a little to late. Basically my home town is a shit hole and dumping ground for all the undesirables no fooker else wants!
Nothing to do with doo gooders imbecile.
It is all the fault of the Tories and started with Thatcher .
Obviously in your case the strategy has worked ,I suppose you don't vote for the do gooder party ?
Try education .
Why assume everyone lives in the south of England.
The whole of England is like this since Thatcher appeared on the scene.
Arming the police turning them into a paramilitary force.
Armed guards both military police and MOD police at all military facilities.
Turning Britain into a mini USA keeping everyone frightened.
All to get votes from gullible frightened voters , with their tough on crime and the causes of crime.
All the while throwing fuel on the fire to deliberately cause problems.
Latest being the imaginary boat gangs .
Imaginary as this has gone on ever since they allowed along with Labour ,east European countries to join the EU.
Mass immigration of alien cultures and a complete lack of understanding by elected members of parliament.
With their " let the immigrants work" .
Work at what ,they arrive get free housing and want to work on their doorstep.
Whilst millions commute to work every day getting up very early arriving home late .
Nobody cares and most are frightened to open a door at night.
All created by the Tory party .
Most places in western Europe do not see the levels of crime and violence that is seen in almost every town village and city in Britain.
The country is run by immigrants for immigrants.
Even the BBC has abandoned the English .
Watching BBC global and BBC national news you have to wonder if England has any white English Christians left .
As they are certainly not represented
Even this present government is run by a man from a alien culture that believes in the cast system.
Plus he is unelected by the population.
Nothing English about England anymore .
Chill out! I live here and it's not that bad at all and if you think it is then why haven't you moved?
@@Lookoutmedia353I lived in Castleford for about two/three years. This wasn't too long ago. Absolute shithole. Genuinely depressing.
I totally agree with everything you say here, it would be a wonderful place if all the undesirables were removed and the place were given a makeover, I enjoy going to the (very tiny) museum above the library in castleford there is a few roman items displayed there but agree with what you said about the bigger museums getting everything! I think the bondi beach building is beautiful and should be invested in and turned into maybe a museum so we can have more finds on display here, I have donated a few smaller finds to the castleford museum which show our amazing history, like very old marbles, Jack's, coins,old bottles etc as you find lots just by field walking every now and again after ploughing, also found pit pony shoes,old mining weights,clay pipes and other mine related items I just love it, Just not the people so much nowadays.
I was born in Dewsbury, which is on the other side of Wakefield from Castleford and Pontefract, in 1946. I moved to the south of England in 1970 but used to return to the Dewsbury/Huddersfield area periodically to visit relatives. But they have all now passed on and I haven't been to West Yorkshire for almost twenty years.. From what I have heard and seen on videos, the former industrial areas are, very sadly, best avoided altogether.
The Huddersfield area is actually not that bad. It's not great, but improving. However, Castleford & Pontefract are worse than ever. The whole of Wakefield is a massive shithole.
I'm from batley and yes avoid if possible all places round here now all crime ridden dumps
@@CJ-dg6uc I lived in Heckmondwike for many years prior to moving out of West Yorkshire. My mother was living in Birstall at the time of her death and my brother was living in Birkenshaw at the time of his. My favourite cousin lived all her life in Huddersfield. The West Yorkshire former industrial towns still retain their magnificent Victorian architectural heritage but, very sadly, there is little else that can be said in their favour.
@Queensburyheights I lived on dale Lane estate for years I live in Heckmondwike Town centre now Heckmondwike is a bit better than batley and dewsbury but its going the same way as them
@@CJ-dg6uc We lived in Leyburn Avenue on Dale Lane Estate. I moved out of West Yorkshire and my brother got married and moved to Birstall before moving to Birkenshaw where he lived until his premature death. After my father died my mother moved to Birstall where she spent the rest of her life. My favourite cousin lived all her life in Huddersfield and passed on many years ago. I had a couple of other cousins living in Batley but I haven't seen them for over 50 years. I moved to London in mid 1972 and then moved to Jamaica in the Caribbean at the end of 2006. I returned to London at the end of 2008 and ever since then I have lived in Stamford Hill which by London standards is not a bad area. I will be 78 in August and so am too old to move now.
Classy Cas, Perfect Ponte ha ha. We left West Yorkshire 19 years ago for the Canadian Rockies because we could see this coming.
The Canadian rockies are worth leaving most places for though! 😀
@andycommonsincanada Were you West Yorkshire born and bred? Like with a long family connection to the region? It's interesting that you "saw it coming" from about 2003 -- and clearly didn't believe things were going to turn around. What do you believe are the five or six main factors that have created these poverty and crime riddled towns?
Cas Vegas and Ponte Carlo! I’m from Wakefield originally and left for the Barossa valley in south Australia 10 years ago because the country was going down the pan
The crime rate is high because the MP (Yvette Cooper) approved a centre for addicts and drunks right in the town centre….the result was a massive spike in crime especially shop lifting! As a consequence, retailers are deserting the town, with Marks & Spencer being the latest to close down! And the future? Yes, another centre for “troubled” people being planned with accommodation for 19!
I don’t know how many things I can disagree with in just one comment, but here goes:
1. MPs don’t generally have any input AT ALL in where rehab centres are placed. That’s a decision for the local authority’s planning department. So direct your words to Wakefield Council rather than blaming your MP.
2. Have rehab centres been opened in Castleford because the town needs it? Answer: yes, probably. All towns these days will need to provide help for people to recover from addictions and the spiral of debt/crime etc that drugs and drink create.
3. Given that there’s a need for such centres, where do you suggest they should be placed? In the towns where they’re needed is the best plan. And not in the middle of residential areas, as people don’t tend to want them near where they live. That means town centres are the best option, because not that many people actually *live* in the centre of towns.
4. Shops don’t pull out of a town just because of shoplifting. They pull out because the store is no longer profitable, and because people’s shopping habits have changed - more and more online purchases and out-of-town retail parks. There are always people talking about how the centre of Cas is dead these days. And that’s why good, decent shops like M&S have gone.
Brexit twonk
Maria……I live in Castleford. Firstly our MP is on record as supporting the councils decision to put an addicts centre here. Secondly, it’s called the “5 towns centre” because it deals with addicts from…you guessed it, 5 towns! And shops are pulling out of this town because they aren’t profitable and that’s due to high shop lifting rates! Most shops here are independents, not big high street names and they can’t afford to replace the stock that is stolen! The only reason Yvette Cooper was re elected in 2019 is because the Tories and Brexit party split the centre right vote which was 6000 higher than she got. She will be gone at the next election and I for one will be cheering from the roof tops!
@@nickwhitehead3873
A few responses to your rather selective reply:
1. Yvette Cooper said she supported the council's decision. That's a very different thing from 'Yvette Cooper approved a centre...'. (Because Yvette Cooper didn't have any say in the decision itself - she was just saying she agreed with it once it had been made by the council.)
2. Castleford isn't the only place in the 5 Towns to have a rehab centre. There are ones in Wakefield too. So it's not like Cas is being used as a dumping ground for ALL the addicts in the area.
3. You have no evidence at all to suggest that M&S closed its store because of shoplifting (which is what you said in the original comment). Smaller independent shops, yes, I'm sure they do have shoplifting problems.
4. I have no idea why you believe that either the Tories or any other right-wing party will be better for Castleford than Labour, but that's completely your decision!
Thats bollocks
Always love it when a vid comes out
Thanks man, this was a fun one to film and fly the drone over those tower blocks.
Love the drone footage
Ah Cas Vegas and Ponte Carlo. They were both nice places before the council started to use them as an ethnic dumping ground.
Failed at life? Blame immigration!
Ah, it's the ethnics' fault. I imagine we can chart the decline of Cas town centre back to the very first day an ethnic person moved in to Castleford eh?
@@TerraNova1967unfortunately this guy’s opinion is shared by many across the area who don’t understand the real reasons for urban decline and are looking for others to blame…
When a Pound shop shuts down, you know the place is dying.
As someone from Wakefield Cas Vegas and Ponte Carlo as there called aren't anything as bad as the video portrays. Infact that is the worst I've seen off Cas ever. Plenty of.other dumps as in Dewsbury which I lived for many years and parts of Bradistan, parts of Bradford are just like they looked 30 years ago in Rita sue and Bob too.
I wish I knew about those niknames before, that’s had me in stitches!
Obviously, ‘bad’ can be subjective. Which is why I include real crime and social stats.
There are worse places, of course, and I have a long hit list to work through. Although strictly on crime stats these two towns top West Yorks.
I was going to go to Hull this weekend to visit one of Europe’s largest council estates but something came up (I didn’t bottle it, honest).
Yep you certainly are a local, I worked at the Xscape fitting the cinema seating must be 15 years ago and I remember this old fella on site who educated us southerners to the local nicknames ha ha
He said to me once "it's great to come from Cas Vegas" what he meant was to leave the place, he was funny certainly lifted our day , I did a multiplex cinema at Bradford as well and the firm we was working for put us in a digs above a pub in a bloody warzone it was at the time of the riots there I remember the landlord came to the bar to check us in and he had his arm in a sling and his face was all smashed up, yep we only stayed the one night! such fond memories 😂
@@ukexplored Brandsholme and Warne was the biggest housing estate in Europe, my friends friend lived there and at the end of a block of houses was a dragon tin sprayed on the wall with an arrow pointing which way to go to score a certain substance that grows in Afghanistan, back then around 280,000 to 300,000 people lived there if I remember well...
I’m definitely going to Brandsholme, I didn’t know places like that existed on that scale.
@ukexplored ..I'd take a suit of armour with you buddy..I live in a area just out wakey...and deliver in and around both those towns...its very sad to see the deprivation...but the ordinary everyday folk are spot on..there's always an element of drug use and crime in towns up and down the country...its just that there's more in ponte and cas..!
I think the court house is where guilty get a slap on the wrist and released.
Apparently the cafe in the court house is popular. Wonder why😂
Court closed years ago. All run in Leeds now
I’ve taken my Mum shopping dozens of times in Pontefract. Never seen any trouble and the people there are friendly. I suspect most of the problems occur away from the town centre. I find it a nice place to visit.
I'm from Chiswick in London where the white collar crime rate overshadows all else. No stabbings, petty theft nor much shoplifting, just rich people stabbing each other in the back, robbing the poor blind and shady property deals, not to mention high end drugs.😢
Yeah, that doesn’t make for great headlines, but that’s what turns the world round from the top down, eh.
Say you wanted Corbyn In power without saying it
@@tjbooker8585 He's north London. Chiswick is W4, dude.
so like the decline and fall of the Roman empire in plain sight.
@@tjbooker8585 Corbyn went years back. Do you blame him for covid/Brexit/& Ukraine?
cas isnt even that bad as ur making it lol, you could maybe show the sought after areas in castleford like queens park drive and ferrybridge road, so many nice houses down there, and spittal hardwick lane which leads from castleford to ponte. xscape and junction 32 are also nice for a meal or a quick shop too, its just the town centre thats a let down which is a shame
What you have carefully avoided saying, the elephant in the room, is the overwhelmingly high numbers of Eastern Europeans who descended on these towns over the years thanks to Tony Blair's open door policy who worked on farms undercutting local people's wages and depressing wages and the economy generally. When the jobs on farms started drying up they did not go home and what you see today is a direct result of Blair's policy.
Rubbish
Nice attempt at deflection but Castleford was a mining town so its problems really began in the 80's under Thatcher.
@@freebornaiden7666 Who had to draw the line at the ridiculous subsidisation of an industry that was costing taxpayers billions. Thatcher grasped the nettle Labour planted and were afraid of.
@@freebornaiden7666 Mining, Glass and Chemicals, and all the associated industries, and suppliers all wjped out by the de-industrialisation of the country by the Tories
Same story in East Anglia - using the old LIE "Came to do the jobs Brits don't want to do". LIES the recruitment is done abroad! White British nationals are not even given a chance of an interview locally no ads nothing! Also disgustingly government FUNDED RECRUITMENT AGENCIES to recruit abroad i.e. Eastern Europe - they also have a scheme to get people from outside the EEA such as Mexico - Columbia - Bangladesh India etc. TO LEARN ENGLISH IN SITU & the local councils & colleges (colleges paid more per foreign student a head than Brit National) are in cahoots to provide the "Learn English in situ" students with housing. Colleges & Councils do deals with private landlords AND deals with big global coffee shops Starbucks etc. to give part time jobs to said 'students' saving huge tax payments for the big global companies and they have a constant flow of easily replaceable part-timers!
Good video , youshould try parts of Leeds , such as Halton Moor , or Armley for example ! .
Thanks. I have a list I’d recommend places to go, added those to the list. Appreciate the tips.
@@ukexplored I wouldn't be walking around Halton Moor filming lad, you'll get firebombed...
Chapletown and Heyfields was rough back in the day, we used go to the gaiety bar, got busted just after we'd scored some nice soft black from there by Leeds vice squad on the dual carriage way upside of the geiety bar, never stopped us going back lol
@@ukexplored You are very welcome , have a good week .
@@oddborgm6339 Agree with that . Have a crack at Beeston, around Dewsbury Road way. Bit like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video.
This is what happens when thriving mining towns are wiped out due to stupid Green policy and the rise of internet shopping. 6 1/2 miles west of the two towns sits Amazon new mega delivery hub which is 8 acres big ironically sitting on Pontefract Lane going out of Leeds!
Yeah, I’ve seen it in a number of spots around the country. I can still see how this was an awesome town under the surface. Amazon has a lot to answer for.
You are really thick as shit the mines wasn't closed down for a green policy at all it was Thatcher closing them because the miners brought down the Tory government in 1974 and they didn't want workers to have any power to do it again
I won't buy from Amazon. And I think everyone who does is mad to make one man rich. Where's the jobs ? Amazon are hard to work for too with low wages.
@@sandrafinbar I'm happy to say that I too am glad to have held back on the whole world domination by Amazon thing. People have become almost addicted to 'next day delivery' - which is nearly obscene when you examine the human supply chain that makes that happen.
@@comealongcomealong4480 most definitely. Bad wages and conditions as well as more delivery trucks on the roads. All workers including the drivers are put under a lot of pressure to get those parcels out. In the meantime the shops and community are shutting down taking the life out of the town.
Just a sidenote here from a former WY police officer. WYP records crimes for things that are none crimes. If someone gets upset and calls the police because kids are playing football on the street it gets recorded as a crime. Had multiple people try and say kids were playing football maliciously and that they were doing it to discriminate against them racially. Also kids playing in the park across from their house were being too loud etc.
West Yorks is very big and I know upfront neither Cas or Ponte are the most dangerous
You would have to look at violent crime statistics not just overall crime
It's a total myth that you only find places like this 'up north'. I live near Aldershot - you'd be hard pressed to find a more poverty stricken, depressing place.
I’m in castleford 5 to 6 days a week never seen anything the crime rate in Castleford and Pontefract is no worse than Wakefield,Normanton ,Featherstone ,and Knottingley or any other town in the UK
Don't you think it's a coincidence that they have Yvette Cooper as their local MP.
Bradford has a higher crime rate in the hole of west yorkshire but most of it goes un-reported.
Castleford was a great town and Pontefract was seen to be more upmarket than Castleford in the good years. Castleford has been the victim of bouts of spontaneous combustion such as the much loved Market Hall, the lovely old Welbeck Street School, Whitwood Technical College, which was excellent, and the old picture house. Both proud mining towns, like many such industrial towns, they have suffered greatly by regressive politics and badly targeted investment. Things have got so bad that being a councillor or politician these days carries no kudos whatsoever, in fact the opposite applies. I grew up in Castleford and have very fond memories of the people and what we once had. Towns like these need public involvement if things are to change for the better.
Wakefield council making 5 towns area did that, took the money to wakefield and blew it all there
You make it sound a lot better than it actually is good work
The tower blocks are warehouses for the unemployed, for today and future generations. I don't think AI will do anything for those unfortunate people.
I hope that suitcase doesn't have anything illegal
Luckily we’ll never know! 😂
I live in Airedale just outside Castleford, one day just after lockdown lifted I went into town to go shopping & got attacked then had to have trauma surgery to fix the fractures with steel plates & pins, now only time I go into Castleford is if I have to visit my GP, I just go to the surgery then back home as fast as possible & do all my shopping online because I'm scared to go shopping in town now after that experience
Try a visit to Harehills.
Added Harehills to our list. I went to pontefract and castleford because someone recommended so, so I’ll get there at some point. Thanks.
27 Sept 2022 - Wakefield Council Leader Denise Jeffery described feeling frightened during a visit to Castleford town centre earlier this year...... says it all.
Shes a wast of space just like Yvette Copper Is they have donr nothing for the town !
Wow, you walk around pontefract not once going into the town center. Your video shows the back of the shops and then makes out that your in the center. Courthouse is closed down, so it doesn't get that busy.
Are you sure the courthouse is closed down? It’s listed as open right now on Google.
@@ukexplored Its a café and second hand antique shop. Been closed years, your video is full of errors.
Court House is definitely closed down, one of my friends is a magistrate who worked there. He now takes all his cases in Leeds. What is a bit bizarre is that the opulent antiques market it now houses is beyond the price range of most . Example : antique Napoleonic Dragoon guard's helmet - a mere snip at £400. In Ponty ??!! This market belongs in Knightsbridge London.
I knew it was going to be Castleford and Pontefract! They call Castleford "Cas Vegas" and Pontefract "Ponte Carlo" LOL! Great Video
Thanks!
These were both proud mining towns. Ruined by Thatcher
I live here.
It’s better then it is portrayed
Not great. But not this bad.
Voyeuristic deprivation, porn
Born and raised in Castleford, lived in Moscow, Russia for many years, Castleford is worse, i can say. HOWEVER, not for any crime that ever happened to me, just the deprivation, which has sadly taken over due to local councils not caring, and a few bad apples in the community.
Is the bad apple element inbreeding? It would make sense if decent people won't touch them and they end up in a self-segregated bottleneck.
@RedOakCrow let's say that there are bad habits among a certain segment, which are passed along to the next generation. Sticky fingers, chemical habits etc. I stress that it really is less than 0.01%, but it gives all a bad name and reputation
I also used to live in Moscow, for around 8 years on and off. I can honestly say it felt much safer and more relaxed than many places in my home country.
@djjonnymoore5861 indeed. 7 years for me, and a year elsewhere in Russia. I loved it there, safe everywhere, even at 2 in the morning. Won't be going for a short while though! For obvious reasons
Ah yes you and me both, hoping for better days though...
Lots of these towns have not recovered since the collieries were shut. Little investment since.
Maggie Thatcher Milk Snatcher
Labour-run councils. It's the same everywhere they're in charge. Vote labour and give your hometown away.
It’s the same everywhere. Regardless of party.
@@stephenjon3502 not in my experience of the town's I've lived in; Labour by far the worst, Lib Dem not as bad as you'd imagine, Con some good some bad. A small sample of about ten, granted, but all the labour-run towns were shite without exception.
@@typhoon2827Why do you think that is? Couldn’t be that we have a tory central government by any chance?
@@stephenjon3502 could well be.... Except that under the last Labour central nose-in-trough government, the same labour-run councils were also cesspits of squalor and corruption, so, you know, empiricism and all that. Like I said, I'm only going on the towns I've lived in, I recognised the limited sample size but I'm trying to be objective, rather than your triggered response IT'S ALL THE TORIES' FAULT.
Now this is what the Tories refer to as "levelling up".....
As someone who grew up in Airedale/castleford it really has become a dangerous place I’m one of the known people for my love of building Dalek props out on the street/area .. over the years I’ve sort of grown a name for myself which is the only thing people know me as but I’ve had to slowly stop doing patrols with my Daleks and prop work due to amount of times I’ve almost been attacked by youths and disrespected by them because of my hobbie I try my best to keep away from their well known areas
But at the end of the day I know there are many who still love my work even if I brighten a few peoples faces over the years and for what I’ve in store in film making here soon with my props
Eventually I do want to move to London due to my dress code (formal/casual) and feel I belong to a big city rather than a small town for how niche my work is
It used to be a wonderful town but with the price of things and lack of engineering and craftsmanship as a dying trade the town has slowly become a ghost town with gangs and druggies but eventually that should sort itself out
Cameron
Cameron PLEASE, PLEASE!! do all you can to move away and grow. If you stay where you are the angry, bitter people will suck the joy from you. Save, beg, borrow, but get out and FIND YOUR PLACE...I wish you luck.❤
@@misterr279 Best place for that would be the countryside. Cities I think you will end up just as bad as the previous.
London? As someone that is from Castleford, whitwood I've worked in London and tbh it's not really better. Just more expensive, and still just as bad. It's out of the frying pan and into the fire I'm afraid.
I do feel for you mate, unfortunately it's not just cas or ponte, but the whole of Britain has gone down, the youth today feel entitled.
Cameron - I've just moved from Castleford 5 weeks ago to the east coast. I lived in Castleford for over 20 years and used to love the town and it's people.
Don't move to a city! Trust me they are no better. As another commenter has said move to the country. Nobody judges you out here and it would suit you much better.
Btw I think I know who you are and have seen you about. Keep your chin up mate and make plans to escape as soon as you can 👍🏻
Couple of days ago my Sat nav misdirected me whilst traveling home from Whitby to Loughborough and I ended up in Pontefract. It was my first time in 80yrs I'd been anywhere near the place. I didn't think it looked too bad; living there I suppose might be a different experience.
Hope you enjoyed this video! If you have any feedback or comments, we'd love to hear them! Do you live in Yorkshire, are you familiar with any of these areas? Your feedback is valuable to the audience, please share.
As always that vid was AWESOME!!keep up the good work👍👍👍👍👍
it would be really interesting for videos on areas of big cities like bristol, birmingham, london etc! it would also be interesting to see nice or ‘posh’ areas too! love your channel keep up good work😊
Try wakefield becoming a ghost town! Took our market away ®ular carboots , but trying to be very arty farty with the hepworth centre , sculture park , pugneys water park etc:: dead as a door knocker town centre used to be really busy you can count the number of people now ! We even have a star walk of fame jane mcdonald , bill nelson of be bop deluxe, neil fox good old rugby league player, wakefield council too pc to do any good ! They all need retraining how to treat their citizens my famiy have lived in wakey for 700 hundred years all turning in their graves now sadly !! Ooh yes we have alcatraz top secrurity jail in the uk dont miss that place lolxx!
Wakefield and it’s surrounding areas has been hard by poverty, but it doesn’t have the most dangerous towns in WY no way, for that title I’d be looking into the areas surrounding Huddersfield, Bradford, Halifax or Leeds
Cas Is definitely a mess but I’ve never felt in danger in the town centre. I’ve walked home after Cas games or gigs in Lion and it’s mostly quiet. My view is it’s the ferrel kids causing most of the crime/vandalism and once they’re tucked up in bed it’s ok. The inadequate police need to get their act together and start tackling crime it it’s going to get worse.
Burton horrified me 18 years back, not sure what it is like now. It looked liked your images on here though. Those buildings look like Mexican prisons.
In the UK the justice system is to blame for rising crime rates. Criminals are treated as ‘victims’ of society are let off with meaningless ineffective sentences instead of being put behind bars for years. Every crime from burglary to murder, and everything in between, should have a FIXED MINIMUM jail term which must be served and a list of crimes and the jail term displayed in shops, post offices, banks etc. That would bring crime down. For example a burglar may know that the MAXIMUM sentence he is likely to get is a fine or and perhaps 5 years in jail. If this was changed to a MINIMUM of 10 years jail wouldn’t that make them stop and think twice!
My parents live in Castleford and I grew up in pontefract and left about 14/15 years ago now I think. I hated it at the time but looking back I have fond memories now. Having lived in major cities like Birmingham and Manchester since, i never really felt unsafe wandering round pontefract at night in comparison. There were always scraps in town at the weekends, but usually if you weren't looking for it then they were avoidable. Was started on a few times but after not rising to it and walking away they would get bored and move on. I loved hanging out in the counting house and we had a really good music scene there around 05-08ish. It was a bit of a shithole and I'm surprised the building didn't fall down but I have fond memories. Yeah it's a bit of a crap town but aren't most small towns a bit shit and there is usually charm in that 😅
You make fair points, and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed growing up in these areas.
How much does it look like - or you know - the area has degraded since you left?
I'm going to be going back, so I'll check out Big Fellas if I'm there late, but it does sound like a stitch up 🙃
@@ukexploredhave a trip to Warwick estate in Knottingley if you dare - read up on it first though
I have spent all my life in Castleford and I hate to admit that this video is a fair reflection of the state of the area - It's true that a picture paints a thousand words. I just wish our limelight loving M.P. Yvette Cooper gets to see it and reflects on how the towns of Castleford and Pontefract have been allowed to degenerate under her 26 year tenure... How proud she and her Labour councillors who run the area must be of their achievements!
Great point.
remember it is the tories that have control of the purse strings,
@@mikecahill3186 Not for 26 years they haven't!
@@smudgersmith1786 where do you get 26 years from?
@@smudgersmith1786 Of course they have! They're deliberately giving less money to the Labour areas, and insisting that more and more things are funded by the council tax. Councils just don't have the money to do everything that they need to do.
Both liebour controlled where certain ethnic's are well protected at the expence of Brits
I live between Castleford and Pontefract. I can confirm that the town centres are very run down. For a variety of reasons. (Wakefield city centre is equally grim.) But I've never felt unsafe walking around the town centres at any time of day night. In fact, Pontefract centre is great for a pub crawl! Go for a jaunt out of the town centres in some of the urban sprawl like in Airedale or Chequerfield estates. Then it's a different story. That's pretty much standard for any town or city round here. FYI all the buildings in Castleford that are boarded up next to the river that you filmed are due to be demolished for a planned riverside regeneration scheme.
Castleford had a huge landscaping architecture project that had a world famous ‘starchitect’ designer come and make an even bigger mess of it.
Pontefract has its own castle, the town still has buildings dating back to the Georgian period I believe.
But both the towns suffered greatly from the 1960’s form and function style of architecture and town planning which destroyed much of the original structures in favour of concrete facades, which we now know to be detrimental to social behaviour, and that’s without mentioning the decline of the pits.
Spot on, the pits closing all round the area have had a massive impact with relatively little to replace the lost employment. I’m surprised he didn’t go to Knottingley - Warwick estate, enough said!
If there was more left of the Castle in Ponte I think it would have ended up similar to the market towns in North Yorkshire, but like you said urban planning ruined the centre
@@wakeyskate Yep you’re right fellow Wakey lad👍
I have just checked this guy out, he is a grifter “buy me a coffee” is just begging. It’s also a coincidence that all his videos begin with the worst town, most dangerous town etc. sensationalism with no foundation, half of what he showed in the Castleford section is boarded up ready for demolition as part of the Riverside regeneration. In short this film maker talks bollocks to grab your attention and scam you out of a few quid. I am a Cas lad and proud of that. His bullshit is better ignored than watched, facts don’t matter to the prat. Viva Cas Vegas
Whos a Griffter ?
What's the demographic breakdown in these 2 towns?
I did look it up at the time and am acutely aware of how a lot of people feel about the demographics and immigration across Yorkshire but decided not to focus on it with these towns. I think we will be visiting more towns and cities in and around Yorkshire and we’ll take a deeper dive into diversity.
@@ukexplored It's not diversity mate it's geography and sociology. As far as I'm concerned, statistical data speaks to the circumstances not your own inclinations, however I acknowledge the rest of the world seems to think and behave like 13 yr old girls. 🤣🤣🤣👍
@@ukexplored ps I grew up round Boston in Lincolnshire that might be an interesting place to look at re: crime rates and demography due to the rapidity of change from all English to all and sundry.
Throw in crime statistics to get an even better idea about the places in question
@@sebv1086 yes but whites from WHERE?
If you have laws that gave Society and the police to put away criminals our way properly than this would be solved
Biggest place near me is Reading. Few weeks ago we left a club and there was a scuffle happening with a bouncer. Didn't think anything of it. Next day in the news turns out not long after we passed the guy in that fight pulled a knife and stabbed someone. Few weeks before that a machete gang was roaming the streets smashing stuff. Ah England.
i lived there 30 years ago... it was NOTHING like this !
Imagine committing crime in the area you live then wonder why there's nothing for you and nobody wants to invest jobs in your town
Im from south elmsall our postal address is pontefract, the reason all these areas have fallen on bad times is solely down to the closure of the collieries, all the villages and all the towns are the same, 1000s upon 1000s suddenly had no job but a nominal amount of cash somevtried to set businesses up many failed it hit the high streets and markets in a way you wouldn't understand ive lived through the prosperous times but after the pits shut it was a decline until what you see now, our small towns and villages took the hit and never recovered.
I live in Castleford and I think you’re just looking in the wrong place as the town centre does have a high crime rate, but that is mostly young teens that don’t know much where I live as a very nice peaceful area of Castleford and there is no litter and no crime at all Everybody is also very polite
If you're white than Bradford tops the list.
What was kinda eerie for me was in Pontefract when you showed the massive tower buildings holding 100s of people there was hardly anyone outside.
2:14 that dry humour doesn't go unnoticed, hahahahhaaha. Best way to test a bridge 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Clickbait title, this guy dont know what rough is, if he thinks these are the roughest towns in West Yorkshire he hasn't seen much. Again, RUclips bullshit.
Spot On M8 hes talking utter shite !
@@OGGalleryCrew92you know it 😂
I live in bradistan … not for the faint hearted
Another example of “Diversity is our strength?”
Another example of industrial decline and the rich live on as normal standing on a working class pyre.
No.hey are still white towns. These crimes are committed by home grown Whites.
I don't think there are too many diverse in those towns.
Not much diversity up there spud, it's all on you.
96% white Robbie. Take your noggin out of the sand.
What happened to the Northern Powerhouse and levelling up? How comes it got so bad in the last 13 years?
Exactly..London are fearful of us Northerners, must be the lasting effect of Queen Boudicca…
This video was in my recommendations and what do you know it's my hometown hahah! Cas wasn't that bad a few years ago, there are actually some neighbourhoods that are nice and have great people in them but however there are a few patches here and there. I go to the rugby matches which are usually on a Friday and had no issues or trouble with anyone so far.
It’s amazing what RUclips knows about it’s viewers 😀
Subscribed
Much appreciated. 😀
Culturally enriched towns
94% British White
@@johnwinfield9738 What are you ranting about? Think before posting. Learn English while you're at it.
@@johnwinfield9738 Have you been there? There's no way that statistic is true.
@@YorkshirePirateit’s not. It’s actually 96.2% white. That’s official figures and not what anyone with a certain mindset thinks.
I really fancy a nice cup of tea in Pontefract's Court House Café. How relaxing...
Well it's no longer a functioning courthouse, so it's a good use of a rather nice building!
What is the reason for high crime? Does it also have a high immigrant population? I would suspect so.
I was going to ask that
You suspect wrongly. Both towns are predominantly white (almost 100% in both cases).
probably due to high unemployment (mine closures etc.), problems getting benefits, police turning a blind eye etc. etc.etc.
when the rot sets in it spreads like wildfire...
this is one of those towns that really needs some of that tory 'leveling up'... question is when will it happen, my money is on - never...
@@23merlino I think the term of " leveling up " is a misnomer and means nothing at all. All BS from the Uk government.
Magistrates Court in Ponte never gets busy these days……closed about 8 years ago. Cases are now heard in Leeds.
The joys of multiculturalism and globalism. A country in decline. Rotten! Thank you NGOs and WEF.
Bwahahahaha 😂🤣
Castleford 96.2 %
White.
@@stephenjon3502 Globalism closed the industrial capacity and shipped the manufacturing plants to cheaper, poorer countries to exploit them and brought cheap labor to bring down wages and up housing prices... all over the country. Exploitative capitalism=crony capitalism=globalism=WEF=elites=the end of the Westphalian system/state=erosion of idiosyncrasy=multiculturalism. A Wal-Mart Society... cheap, poor and in the ghetto.
It seems all the attempts at regenerating Ponte/Cas have failed. Shame really. Then again, most ex mining towns, villages, haven't recovered since the pit closures. Regeneration will only work if the whole community, not just the few, have their hearts in it.
I was born in Castleford and lived there until c1980. Even back then jobs were in short supply. I headed for London and stayed there. It's been about 15 years since I went back for a visit and on the evidence of this video, it doesn't look all that tempting.
Castleford is atrocious. Vile. Depressing.
And yet.... Still better than London....
@@footballfanar9717 If that were true I'd have come back. Sadly, it isn't. There are some horrible areas of London but mostly I've managed to avoid having to live in them for long.
@@ironjade I certainly wouldn't recommend going back. As I say, Cas' is vile. However, I've certainly never understood the hype around London. My preference has always been the North. As long as you avoid shitty market towns like Castleford, it's grand up here.
V interesting ! Pontefract is my home town and i love it but no idea the crime stats were so bad. Things seem to have declined a lot recently,lots of druggies and shoplifters around coupled with closure of police stations in town.
Interesting juxtaposition with the gentle music ❤
I live in Leeds its also being run down and flooded and destroyed by immigration
I spoke to some locals while I was in Yorkshire and immigration came up in just about every conversation!
Northampton is the same mate.
Yeah, I’m a parent, these are all things that worry me about the future and the opportunities my children will have. I hope to make an impact for the better somehow, in some small way. Not sure exactly how yet.
@@ukexplored i think most of these cities worst affected are labour run councils i could be wrong any info on this would be welcomed
@@WildBill-py6vn I think you're right
Hi one detail was wrong in the video ,the court house is no longer a court house it closed down with the police station about 10 years ago its now a charity shop ,gues that's what happens when the law enforcement leave town theres the result, I was born in pontefract and left 2 years ago the best thing about cas and ponty is the road out ot it ,
Thanks for that info. The building is still called the courthouse and was listed as open, that’s my bad. I couldn’t pop in as it was a Sunday I filmed.
Not a problem :)
would you advice me to take a teaching offer there from overseas
Castleford sounds so idyllic to this American. It was interesting to see the buildings on "the other side of the river", like we say "the other side of the tracks, they looked upscale and peaceful.
A couple of miles up that road to the north there’s a lovely area with a nature reserve
Have a look at Normanton. Reminds me of a 1/32 scale model of Dresden, 1945.
I'm from Leeds and this made me chuckle. Casvegas and Ponticarlo are lovely. 😂
I live in Carleton, bordering pontefract and for my whole life I have only seen one crime being committed, but as a whole in my view and opinion Pomtefract is a nice place it just needs to be kept up with the standards around the uk. However I do not like the council estates around pontefract e.g checkerfeild and the massive apartment buildings as it ruins the view from a far as I would rather see the churches clock tower and pontefract castle
There used to be a bit of money knocking around Cas in the 60s, 70s and 80s because of the pits that used to surround the town, but Maggie and her cronies put a end to that, and the place has never recovered and never will if money from the council and government isn't available, it all goes on wakefield when most council tax payers live in the 5 towns around wakefield. Cas isn't by itself either, there are lots of old mining towns up here in the same state 😢
I live near Pontefract Castleford they were Mining villages and other industries there's not much now Yvette Cooper's been MP for many years the Mills in Cas were she has her office is getting a revamp adding to the drugs and crime she will fetch more Illegal Imagrants in to these villages and it will be a great place 😔
She's done nothing for the town only fiddle tax money for her own good and hubby ballzy lol
Is the aim of this show to try and discreetly insinuate that west yorkshire's two most crime ridden areas are Pontefract and Castleford !! This is a play on percentages when you consider that there are council estates in Leeds that are equal in population to both towns , and I'll tell you this , I'd sooner take my chance walking round Pontefract/Castleford on a night than say : harehills , chapletown , gipton , Beeston the list goes on. The only reason I could think that they would do this , is in an effort to try and suggest that west Yorkshires two most dangerous places are populated by mostly white people , (for anyone who doesn't know Pontefract /Castleford are largely white areas) , And before anyone says it , I'm not saying Pontefract/Castleford are perfect , but let's not pretend that there is not far more worse places than them .
There wasn’t a hidden agenda here, Carolarmer. Im from far south, so I asked someone from Yorkshire what they thought the two ‘worst‘ areas were and they named these two places, the crime stats also backed that up. But there are a lot of elements that go into it, some of which is subjective. We’re going to be exploring way more places in the coming months across Yorkshire and more and will be comparing them. I added the places you mentioned to my list!
@@ukexplored ok , thanks . Nowadays you can't help but think that there must be an agenda .
Carols right, not the hidden agenda bit , but virtually every council estate in leeds is far worse than these back waters and there’s loads of em 😬