Re: Disgusting.

Sheep2

There's always been plenty of bad areas.
Gas Street Basin was awful before it was redeveloped.
Somewhere you might take a tourist to rob them and dump the body.
The underpasses were all properly horrible as well. We are well rid of those.

The internet has destroyed shops everywhere. I went to the Ankerside in Tamworth on Thursday for the first time in decades. That's pretty depressing.

As for the villages I'm sure they are nice so long as you don't ever want anything locally and don't mind getting a note from Neighbourhood Watch if you have a light on after 9pm.