WITH stunning Georgian-era architecture, the iconic Royal Crescent has served as a set for high society dramas including Bridgerton, The Duchess and Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
But just two miles away from this famous millionaire’s row, life is very different for the residents of Twerton, which is among the 10 per cent most deprived areas in the country.
Adrian SherrattAlthough Bath is one of the most affluent cities in the country, there is still a clear economic divide in areas like Twerton[/caption]
Adrian SherrattHomes in Twerton have been left to deal with mould problems that have gone unaddressed[/caption]
GettyThe city’s iconic Royal Crescent has been used for high society drama films[/caption]
Recent ONS figures showed 62.8 per cent of people in the Bath neighbourhood were living in poverty, with 35 per cent of children living in deprivation.
And during The Sun’s visit to the South West hub, locals painted a sorrowful picture – telling us that they are stuck in mould-ravaged homes that are risking their health, and calling for them to be torn down completely.
Others raised fears about brazen drug dealers blighting the streets, with one shocking bust revealing how an influential county lines gangster smuggled millions in cocaine disguised as designer gear while using an innocuous Twerton property as a ‘safe house’.
Residents of a tatty, run-down block tell of a constant battle against damp that has left their ceiling looking on the verge of complete collapse, which they say is not being addressed by the housing provider.
One local tells how the flat she’s lived in for 20 years has become overrun by black mould, leading her to despairingly scrub and repaint the walls at least once a year.
She tells us: “The mould is a constant problem. We’ve complained but the housing people say they are going to do something, but nothing gets done.
“It affects our health. I had quite bad bronchitis over the winter and the doctor told me the mould definitely made it worse and meant it would take longer to heal.
“We have to scrub it down and repaint it all the time. It’s disgusting.”
Tale of two cities
Famed for its Roman baths, imposing Abbey and historic links to Jane Austen, Bath attracts more than six million tourists a year.
But in suburbs like Twerton, grouped with the Whiteway estate and Southdown, money doesn’t appear to be trickling down and locals are left in a doom spiral of poverty.
Colin Tiley, 65, who has lived in Twerton for 15 years, tells us: “The place is a dump.
“Some of the areas need tidying up, like the parks, you’ve got the vandalism that goes on and the rubbish strewn around, it’s just not very pleasant to see.
“A lot of people just neglect it. There are a lot of drug issues I’ve been aware of and heard about, including dealers.
“I wouldn’t feel unsafe to go out at night, but I wouldn’t expect my daughter to go out at night, because of the elements.
“My council house is fine, it’s maintained okay and they’re pretty good at looking after places.
“There is a problem with mould in the Curo flats, and it doesn’t ever seem to get sorted out. But they are so old, and they’ve been neglected for too long so they can’t get on top of it.
“They say they’ll come and sort it but then they don’t. My daughter’s definitely not impressed – she has a son, 14, who has lived all his life with it.
“Twerton and Whiteway are an eye-opener compared to the posh areas like Lansdown. It’s definitely different.
“There’s not a lot to do here, there’s a few shops, which have a problem with shoplifting, but apart from the football there’s nothing to entertain anyone.”
Neighbourhood spirit
Twerton Park stadium is the home of non-league Bath City Football Club and is just off the high street.
The neighbourhood also has a Morrison’s Daily, a barber shop, beauty rooms, a lending shop, a community centre, a youth club, and Southside, a family support and domestic violence service.
There is a café serving burgers and pizzas, and two pubs, while another community café serves tea and coffee to locals.
It is clear to see that, despite the difficulties, there a remains a fierce community spirit determined to make the best of the area.
Adrian SherrattThere remains a proud community spirit despite the troubles[/caption]
Adrian SherrattHarrison Cruse says the area is different to the image tourists have of Bath[/caption]
Harrison Cruse, 18, has signed up to join the Army.
He said: “You see stuff that you wouldn’t see elsewhere, there’s a lot of activity around here involving drugs and drug dealing.
“We live in a five-bedroom house, which is fine, and I’ve had a good experience living here.
“It’s a bit different to the posh Bath people know. They visit the nice places but then you come to Twerton or Whiteway and it’s very different.”
There’s a lot of crime here, especially vandalism and thefts of cars and motorbikes. There is drug abuse too.
Holly Buckle
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the families living in the blocks of flats in Woodhouse Road, at the bottom of the steep main road.
Curo Housing Association runs around 1,700 homes in the area – but residents aren’t happy because the properties are cramped and riddled with mould.
Sean Finch, 56, is a full-time carer, who lives a stone’s throw up the road in Whiteway, whose residents have breath-taking views across the city.
Local Sean Finch says the houses need ripping downAdrian Sherratt
Adrian SherrattShocking pictures show how some homes are plagued with mould[/caption]
Adrian SherrattResidents say despite the council’s promise to fix the mould issue, the problem persists[/caption]
He said: “The houses need ripping down. Whiteway’s not a bad place to live, it has a good community, but the houses are a mess.
“They’re badly designed with no storage space, and we have to spend our own money buying cleaner and paint to try to get the mould off the walls.
“Nobody comes out when we complain so we’ve given up.”
Sinister crimes
The problems blighting the area, however, extend beyond rotting homes.
Just last month, on February 11, the body of a man in his 70s was found in one of the nearby properties.
Police arrested a man from Oxford and say investigations are ongoing.
Drug dealers are another menace, with several high profile busts linked to Twerton.
In 2022, Bath-based Romaine Hyman was jailed for 26 years for bringing £3million worth of drugs to the South West.
Police investigations revealed that he supplied both multi-kilo quantities of drugs worth millions and smaller amounts to regular customers.
Police HandoutRomaine Hyman was jailed for 26 years for his role in a drug operation[/caption]
SW ROCUHe was arrested after picking up ‘Fendi’ blocks of cocaine[/caption]
SW ROCUA ‘silent submachine gun’ was also found when police raided properties in connection to Hyman[/caption]
He was arrested in Bath after he received seven blocks of cocaine disguised as designer Fendi gear, which he transported from London.
When his flat was searched, cops found the cocaine alongside a ‘silent submachine gun’ and £23,000 cash stashed away in a drawer.
Police also found equipment he used to cook crack cocaine to sell.
Investigators also recovered £24,000 from a property he was renting in Twerton.
The following year, Sylvia Bearman, from Twerton, was caged for 38 months for her role in a county lines drug network after a police raid in Bath and Keynsham in Somerset.
In that raid, a number of large knives and £15,000 cash were recovered by cops.
ASPOLICESylvia Bearman, from Twerton, was jailed for 38 months for her role in a county liens drug network[/caption]
Adrian SherrattTwerton residents say life is very different here to other affluent parts of the city[/caption]
Resident Holly Buckle, 31, says hard crime is a regular issue, but remains hopeful that the area can turn its fortunes around.
She says: “There’s a lot of crime here, especially vandalism and thefts of cars and motorbikes.
“There is drug abuse too, but apart from that it’s not a bad place to live, we have a nice community.”
A spokesperson for Curo Housing Association said they were “dismayed” to hear about the resident’s mould problems and said they had “contacted her immediately and will work with her to resolve the issues in her flat”.
They added: “We recognise that damp and mould is a live issue right across the country.
“We’re doing a huge amount of work on this, and we’ve set up a specialist team to deal with reports quickly.
“It’s positive that residents are more aware and proactive, and when it’s reported to us it’s a very high priority.
“We commit to visit urgently, and our promise is available to view on our website.”
Bath and North East Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police have been contacted for comment.
UK’s most miserable places to live revealed
A RECENT poll revealed Slough has been named the ‘most miserable’ place to live in the UK.
It claimed the top spot in Rightmove’s annual happiness index, which surveyed 35,000 people about their sense of pride for where they live, sense of belonging and whether they felt they could be “truly themselves”.
While the Berkshire town, famed for cult classic sitcom The Office, placed first, areas in the Midlands, Yorkshire and London also made the Top 10, as we reveal:
Slough, Berkshire
Bradford, West Yorkshire
Barking and Dagenham, London
Dudley, West Midlands
Croydon, London
Walsall, West Midlands
Brent, London
Newham, London
Bexley, London
Birmingham, West Midlands
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