Crap Towns / Norfolk / Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
100/100Crap Score
Locals call it Yarmo. They call themselves Yarcos.
4th crappest of 984 towns, and the crappest in Norfolk. 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
Got something to say about Great Yarmouth? Write in.
agree it's crap have defended it
Great? Says who?
The Golden Mile out front. Boarded-up shops, gulls and bookies round the back.
Ever been to Yarmouth? Face the sea and it's fine. Arcades, piers, the Golden Mile, and all 5 bathing waters rated Excellent. Turn round and it's shite. Empty shops, bookies and gulls nicking your chips, while everyone with a car has gone to the retail parks.
Then there's the lot who stayed. Crime comes in at more than two and a half times the typical town's rate and criminal damage at over three times. There are 67 pubs, nearly five times the typical town's share for its size, which may be connected. The kitchens fail their inspections at more than four times the typical rate, so even the chips the gulls nick are a gamble. Locals call themselves Yarcos, when they're not telling people they're from Gorleston. Wouldn't you?
What the score is made of
Ten ingredients, each marked out of 100. Higher is crapper.
Great Yarmouth's 99 for criminal damage and arson means it's crapper than 99% of towns.
- Criminal damage and arson99/10022.6 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Serious road collisions99/1006.5 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
- Food hygiene98/10010.1% rated 0 to 2, of the 427 food businesses with a rating
- Anti-social behaviour96/10033.6 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Fly-tipping94/10033.6 incidents per 1,000 people a year, Great Yarmouth council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
- Air pollution82/10011.8 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.3 of fine particles, 2024 average
- Deliberate fires82/10014.0 per 10,000 people a year, April 2023 to March 2026
- Broadband79/10014.5% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 12.3% across the Great Yarmouth council area
- Sewage spills34/100119 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
- Rain16/100116 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average
| Pos | Town | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Yarmouth | 100 |
| 2 | Norwich | 84 |
| 3 | King's Lynn | 80 |
| 4 | Gorleston-on-Sea | 65 |
| 5 | Thetford | 49 |
| In danger of becoming nice from here down.6 | Dereham | 35 |
| 7 | Downham Market | 33 |
| 8 | Bradwell | 33 |
| 9 | Wymondham | 18 |
Below the dashed line: in danger of becoming nice.
Great Yarmouth by numbers
Thinking of moving here? Don't say we didn't warn you.
Crime, muck and dodgy water
- 200 crimes per 1,000 people a year (September 2023 to August 2026) Worse: 2.6x the typical town's 76.2
- 14 reports of fly-tipping on FixMyStreet, the most reported problem in the year to October 2026 Worse: 4.8 per 10,000 people, 4.4x the typical town's 1.1
- 2 serious pollution incidents within 1 km since 2016, the latest in 2025
- 5 of 5 bathing waters here or within 2 km rated Excellent in 2025
What's left on the high street
- 67 pubs, 13 hairdressers, 9 charity shops, 8 bookmakers, 3 vape shops, 9 banks, 2 Greggs on the map here as of 1 October 2026
- 8.8% of takeaways rated 0 to 2 for hygiene (6 of 68) Worse: 2.2x the typical town's 4.0%
- 17 public toilets on the map (October 2026) Better: 5.9 per 10,000 people, 3.7x the typical town's 1.6
- 3 public swimming pools open; 2 closed for good since 2010 Better: 1.0 per 10,000 people, 43% higher than the typical English town's 0.7
- 8 places on England's Heritage at Risk register
Getting about, getting online, getting rained on
- 12.22am last bus out on a Wednesday About the same: About the same as the typical town's 12.14am
- 0.4% of premises can't get superfast broadband (January 2026) Better: 20% lower than the typical town's 0.5%
- 6.3% live more than 400 metres from a park or play space Better: 59% lower than the typical town's 15.5%
- 1,725 hours of sunshine a year (1991 to 2020 average) Better: 13% higher than the typical town's 1,532
Great Yarmouth council
- £2,414 Band D council tax (2026-27) About the same: £22 more than the English average
- 8% of Norfolk County Council's unclassified roads should have been considered for maintenance (2025-26) Better: 50% lower than England's 16%
- None ombudsman complaints upheld against the council in 2025-26
- More on the council
Have a crap-off
Great Yarmouth 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.