Crap Towns / South Yorkshire / Barnsley
Barnsley
98/100Crap Score
19th crappest of 984 towns, and the crappest in South Yorkshire. Higher scores are crapper.
Have your say
Crap Town of the Year 2026/27
See the raceThe public vote. It's separate from the Crap Score, and it closes on 31 December 2027.
Letters from the locals
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agree it's crap have defended it
Barnsley. Shit at everything.
Vandals, fly-tippers, bad drivers and dodgy kitchens. Barnsley's got the full set.
Barnsley? Yeah mate. Shite. They spent a fortune on the Glass Works and it looks nice, fair enough. Then you walk out the other side and it's Tarn as it ever was. Vandalism at more than twice the typical town's rate, deliberate fires at six times, and kitchens you wouldn't let your dog eat out of.
The driving's no better. Serious crashes come in at more than twice the typical town's rate, and a quarter of the council's back roads want doing. There's been 26 serious pollution incidents in or near the place since 2016, the latest a stink in the air. It's the crappest town in South Yorkshire, which takes some doing with Rotherham next door. Even the Dee Dars have a point for once.
What the score is made of
Ten ingredients, each marked out of 100. Higher is crapper.
Barnsley's 97 for serious road collisions means it's crapper than 97% of towns.
- Serious road collisions97/1005.1 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
- Criminal damage and arson96/10015.2 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Deliberate fires96/10034.2 per 10,000 people a year, April 2023 to March 2026
- Anti-social behaviour85/10023.4 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Fly-tipping83/10020.2 incidents per 1,000 people a year, Barnsley council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
- Food hygiene83/1004.4% rated 0 to 2, of the 526 food businesses with a rating
- Air pollution73/1009.5 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.2 of fine particles, 2024 average
- Sewage spills59/100394 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
- Rain39/100123 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average
- Broadband36/1005.2% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 8.7% across the Barnsley council area
| Pos | Town | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnsley | 98 |
| 2 | Rotherham | 97 |
| 3 | Cudworth and Shafton | 95 |
| 4 | Sheffield | 94 |
| 5 | Rawmarsh | 93 |
| 6 | Mexborough | 92 |
| 7 | Dinnington | 92 |
| 8 | Bentley | 91 |
| 9 | Wombwell | 91 |
Barnsley by numbers
Thinking of moving here? Don't say we didn't warn you.
Crime, muck and dodgy water
- 145 crimes per 1,000 people a year (September 2023 to August 2026) Worse: 1.9x the typical town's 76.2
- 33 reports of potholes and bad road surfaces on FixMyStreet, the most reported problem in the year to October 2026 Worse: 4.6 per 10,000 people, 35% higher than the typical town's 3.4
- 26 serious pollution incidents within 1 km since 2016, the latest in 2026
What's left on the high street
- 53 pubs, 52 hairdressers, 13 charity shops, 9 bookmakers, 5 vape shops, 12 banks, 5 Greggs on the map here as of 1 October 2026
- 8.6% of takeaways rated 0 to 2 for hygiene (8 of 93) Worse: 2.2x the typical town's 4.0%
- 1 bank branch closure announced since 2022 Better: 1.4 per 100,000 people, 59% lower than the typical town's 3.4
- 1 library shut for good since 2010: Kendray (2015)
- 18 public toilets on the map (October 2026) Better: 2.5 per 10,000 people, 1.6x the typical town's 1.6
- 6 public swimming pools open; 1 closed for good since 2010 Better: 0.8 per 10,000 people, 14% higher than the typical English town's 0.7
- 1 place on England's Heritage at Risk register
Getting about, getting online, getting rained on
- 12.32am last bus out on a Wednesday Better: Later than the typical town's 12.14am
- 0.6% of premises can't get superfast broadband (January 2026) Worse: 20% higher than the typical town's 0.5%
- 13.5% live more than 400 metres from a park or play space Better: 13% lower than the typical town's 15.5%
- 1,489 hours of sunshine a year (1991 to 2020 average) About the same: About the same as the typical town's 1,532
Barnsley council
Have a crap-off
Barnsley against your mate's town, and a match ticket to rub it in.
- ?Fly-tippingper 1,000, council area?
- ?Anti-social behaviourper 1,000 people?
- ?Serious road crashesper 10,000 people?
- ?Sewage spillshours per 10,000 people?
- ?Food hygienerated poor?
- ?Criminal damageper 1,000 people?
- ?Dirty airµg/m³?
- ?No gigabitof premises can't get it?
- ?Deliberate firesper 10,000 people?
- ?Raindays a year?
Ten ingredients. One verdict. Who's crapper? The higher Crap Score takes it.