Dark underbelly of Britain’s ‘second-class Las Vegas’

IT'S A city steeped in rich British heritage; home to one of the UK's most prestigious cathedrals and the setting of Chaucer's infamous book The Canterbury Tales. But scratch below the surface and the seedy underbelly of this once quaint Kent town begins to show - rife with shoplifting, drug use and vicious bust-ups. Locals told The Sun how their city centre is plagued by antisocial behaviour as local louts shoplift, get into drunken fights, and even start fires.

Image Credit: The Sun [Canterbury Cathedral illuminated at dusk.]

The Sun is diving into the country's ghost town high streets, benefit black spots and crime epidemic. In Canterbury, beleaguered locals' complaints are backed by the facts - with 215 crimes reported in the central Westgate area of the city alone in November 2024, according to Kent Police. Of these, 66 were violent and sexual offences, 41 for shoplifting and 14 for criminal damage and arson. Ryan Rowe, 29, who spent a year-and-a-half homeless in the city, pinned the bad behaviour on the local Wetherspoons.

Image Credit: The Sun [A group of young people on a high street, some appear to be acting suspiciously.]

The father-of-two said: "On a Friday and Saturday night it's the place you want to avoid big time because it's not the best place. "But, you can't paint everyone who goes out for a drink with the same brush. "Some people only go out for a couple and then they're fine - but with Wetherspoons it is different, people drink pint, after pint, after pint.". Violence can also be an issue, particularly among people sleeping rough.

Image Credit: The Sun [Illustration of Canterbury map highlighting streets with high crime rates.]

Ryan said: "When I was homeless I knew of a fella who got set alight by a group of young people. "He's still alive, but they set him alight while he was sleeping.". Some 13 offences were pinned on the street outside JD Wetherspoon's The West Gate Inn, in November 2024 - the latest available data. Of those, nine were violent and sexual, while two were for criminal damage and arson. Ethan Snoad, 19, revealed locals had certain streets they'd refuse to walk down.

Image Credit: The Sun [Susan Patton, assistant manager at Boots, on Canterbury High Street.]

He said: "The drinking here has always been like this, but the drugs have got a lot worse. Especially in the clubs where there are issues with spiking. "If you're here regularly - I've been here every day for the past four years - and you learn which streets to not go down and just stay with the crowds, you're alright.". Some of the highest offending rates in the Westgate area of the city were Butchery Lane, St George's Street and Gravel Walk, according to Kent Police.

Image Credit: The Sun [A woman in a dark coat stands on a high street, a Christmas tree with lights blurred in the background.]

Other high crime areas include the St Andrews Close Aldi, where of 12 offences recorded in November last year, eight were for shoplifting, and the Watling Street Bus Station - which had 19 offences. Carly Saunders, 44, said she would never spend an evening in the "awful" town centre that had "got out of control". She said: "I've seen fights, big brawls, punch ups, there's a lack of police - it looks disgusting, there's always mess everywhere, there are children setting fire to things.

Image Credit: The Sun [Boots security guard wearing a headset.]

"I just think we've got two bulging Universities and loads of visitors. They do boozy brunches that start at 12 and I think it's just the mentality of this town centre.". The HR Manager added: "I don't think it's a very good place to live and I think it can be quite dangerous. "I think the problem is drugs - there is a massive drug problem here. "There are homeless people living in tents, there's students and they're selling drugs to them, and there's clubs - so I think there's an underlying drug problem.".

Image Credit: The Sun [Young woman singing into a microphone.]

Locals have labelled Canterbury - which boasts a total of seven garish betting shops in close vicinity - a "second-class Las Vegas". Susan Patton, 46, works as assistant manager at Boots and said their security guard had been threatened by kids. She said: "There are hoards of kids who do come in a nick stuff, one group in particular cause our security guard issues - some even threatened him when he left work.

Image Credit: The Sun [Shoplifting prevention and safe space signs in a Boots store window.]

"But, we have a system here where all the shops have a direct line to each other, so if someone shoplifts in another shop, we can tell everyone to keep an eye out. "That makes me feel much safer, because we all have each others' backs.". Tiger-Rose Matthews, 20, who busks regularly in the city centre, told how she's constantly hit with abuse. She said: "Busking used to be a lot more celebrated up here, and now I just get more abuse.

Image Credit: The Sun [A young man wearing glasses and a green jacket stands outside a cafe.]

"People shout at me, I assume it will happen today, they'll say 'you're rubbish', 'shut up', that sort of thing. "I use a bucket hat to collect money now because it's the size of my foot and I can put my foot straight on it if someone tries to take it. "It's not specifically the homeless people, it's the addicts who are trying to look for money for more drugs.". Emma Hill, 50, who worked temporarily at the Christmas market in December, said: "I don't always feel entirely safe here, which is a bit of a shame.