Welsh town dubbed ‘quietest in the UK’

Richard Evans – Local democracy reporter

A Welsh town has been described as a “ghost town” and the “quietest in the UK” by a popular YouTuber.

Colwyn Bay is featured in the ‘All or Nothing’ YouTube channel and in less than a day already had over 58K views.

All or Nothing, which has 197K subscribers, is hosted by ex-Liverpool boxer Billy Moore, who visits towns across the UK, often documenting deprived areas.

In the video Mr Moore walks along Station Road, Penryhn Road, and Conway Road, outside Conwy Council’s new HQ at Coed Pella, whilst repeatedly commenting how quiet the town is, describing it as “dead”.

Complaints

Along his way, he speaks to homeless and ex-homeless men who tell him they have struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, with one complaining of having his tents slashed.

He also films the town’s shops and pubs, many of which are now closed, as well as a man who helps feed the homeless.

At the video’s conclusion, he says: “I would say that is probably it for Colwyn Bay, the quietest town in the United Kingdom!”

But earlier in the video, Mr Moore also comments how beautiful Colwyn Bay’s buildings are, describing the town as “lovely”.

When at the war memorial near St John’s Church on Conway Road, he says: “It is actually quite nice here. How dare someone say, ‘Visit Colwyn Bay. It is rough’. Look at it. It is beautiful!’”

Old Colwyn councillor Cheryl Carlisle said she was saddened by the video, but she hoped the council staff relocating from Bodlondeb HQ to the Coed Pella offices could be a boost to the town.

Cllr Carlisle also suggested reversing the pedestrianisation of the town’s high street might help.

Decline

“I think it is incredibly sad to see the decline of Colwyn Bay and the way people feel about the town,” she said.

“I sincerely hope that the closure of Bodlondeb and the fact that all the staff from there will also move into Coed Pella will give the boost to the footfall and some of the emerging businesses.

“You’ve only got to look at Penrhyn Road and the cafes there.

“Hopefully this will provide a boost, and of course, I go back to the biggest boost that could happen in Colwyn Bay – for Station Road to be reopened to traffic to try and breathe life into that historic shopping street.”

Mr Moore, an ex-Muay Thai fighter, was sentenced to three years in Thailand’s notorious Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok for drug offences after arriving in the country to teach English in 2005.

His prison stint inspired a best-selling book and film, ‘A Prayer Before Dawn’.

These days, Mr Moore promotes sobriety and anti-violence messages on his channel.

He also visited Rhyl this week where he spoke to a group of youths gathered outside Rhyl’s train station, who claimed they were readying to fight “a firm” travelling from Flint who would be “armed with knives”.

Mr Moore then interviews the Rhyl youths and tries to persuade them not to get involved with fighting, telling them: “Only cowards carry knives.”

Clash

No fight appears to have taken place, although the youths claimed a clash had happened previously.

Commenting on the footage, North Wales Police superintendent Lee Boycott said: “Whilst the video touched on many issues experienced in towns across the country, it was encouraging that the youths interviewed confirmed that they did not carry knives, and they were not involved in any reported incidents on that evening.

“Significant work has been ongoing over the last 10 months as part of the Clear, Hold, Build initiative ‘Renew Rhyl’, and this was highlighted in comments made regarding the number of drugs raids in the town.”

Cllr Ellie Chard said Rhyl was a much safer place than it was 20 years ago.

“My daughters went to university in 2003/04 in Manchester, and they used to come home and tell me Manchester was safer than Rhyl,” she said.

“But these days Rhyl is a much safer place.

“I think people and young people don’t go out as much. They tend to spend more time on the internet.”

A Denbighshire County Council spokeswoman said: “Building on the intervention and intelligence gained by North Wales Police during the clear phase, the council is working across multi-agencies in the design and delivery of the Hold and Build Phase of the Clear Hold Build initiative called ‘Renew Rhyl’.”

She added: “The council looks forward to working with partners and communities to sustain and build positive outcomes for Rhyl.”