Residents of a UK town say it has become "dilapidated" after once brimming with locals and holidaymakers. Locals from Southport remember a time when the town was a bustling and vibrant place to be, but now feel it has been "left to the dogs". Jean Forshaw, a local resident, used to be a proud member of the Scarisbrick Hotel's staff in Southport's town centre and she cherished her job there.
"I worked in the cocktail bar," recalled Jean, "it was absolutely brilliant, we had Americans coming in asking for Harvey Wallbangers. I didn't know what they were to be honest." However, her fond recollections are tainted by what Southport has become: "But look at it now, it is so dilapidated.
" Now aged 79, Jean gestured towards the hotel's once majestic exterior, lamenting its current sorry state. The Britannia Hotels group scooped up the hotel out of administration in 2011, only to continue holding onto its regrettable title of the UK's worst hotel chain for the eleventh consecutive year. Local man Sean Byrne also cherishes golden memories of the Scarisbrick, reports the Liverpool Echo .
"This place used to be a gold mine," commented the 62-year-old ex-teacher. "It was a fantastic place to come for weddings, for meals out. It was the jewel in the crown of this town.
" "There has been a big deterioration in the upkeep of the town, look at the parks and the cemeteries - absolutely awful," Sean continued. "I know the local council struggles for funds, but I think you can trace the decline o.