Crap TownsBritain's towns, rated by the people stuck in them

Crap Towns / Hertfordshire / Letchworth

Welcome to

Letchworth

First garden city. Took them ages to allow a pint.
Twinned with a pub with no beer

28/100Crap Score

Known as Letchy.

708th crappest of 984 towns, and 12th in Hertfordshire. Higher scores are crapper.

How the score works

Have your say

Crap Town of the Year 2026/27

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The 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 Letchworth? Write in.

Who plans a town with no pub?

The world's first garden city. They planned everything, including no beer.

Letchworth was the first garden city, planned down to the last bloody hedge. For years the planners wouldn't let it have a proper pub, and you can still tell: there are 6 pubs for the whole town and 11 charity shops. It's also got Britain's oldest roundabout, and it's proud of that. A roundabout.

On a Wednesday the last bus is at 8.07pm, so you can't nip to Hitchin for a pint either. The banks have shut 4 branches since 2022 and there's 1 left. But there are 7 public swimming pools, three times the typical town per head. They planned everything. Just not a drink.

The editor, who went to Hitchin for a pint

What the score is made of

Ten ingredients, each marked out of 100. Higher is crapper.

Letchworth's 73 for anti-social behaviour means it's crapper than 73% of towns.

  • Anti-social behaviour73/10019.2 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
  • Air pollution65/1008.2 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.3 of fine particles, 2024 average
  • Broadband61/1007.6% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 14.2% across the North Hertfordshire council area
  • Deliberate fires57/1006.5 per 10,000 people a year, April 2023 to March 2026
  • Fly-tipping57/10010.9 incidents per 1,000 people a year, North Hertfordshire council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
  • Criminal damage and arson42/1006.5 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
  • Food hygiene17/1001.1% rated 0 to 2, of the 179 food businesses with a rating
  • Serious road collisions13/1001.4 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
  • Sewage spills12/10010.7 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
  • Rain9/100113 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average
Your patch: HertfordshireTowns in the same county. Top of the table is crappest.
PosTownNationalScore
8Bushey574th42
9Welwyn Garden City576th42
10Watford610th38
11Hitchin644th35
12Letchworth708th28
13Hoddesdon711th28
14Berkhamsted768th22
15Cheshunt779th21
16Bishop's Stortford795th19

Below the dashed line: in danger of becoming nice.

Letchworth by numbers

Thinking of moving here? Don't say we didn't warn you.

Crime, muck and dodgy water

What's left on the high street

Getting about, getting online, getting rained on

North Hertfordshire council

Have a crap-off

Letchworth against your mate's town, and a match ticket to rub it in.

LetchworthCrap Score 28
v
BaldockCrap Score 45

Ten ingredients. One verdict. Who's crapper? The higher Crap Score takes it.