Crap Towns / Gwent / Newport
Newport
97/100Crap Score
Known as Newport on Mud.
33rd crappest of 984 towns, and 2nd in Gwent. 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 Newport? Write in.
agree it's crap have defended it
Spewport to some.
The Transporter Bridge, Rodney Parade and a city centre that's lost its shops.
Newport has the Transporter Bridge, Rodney Parade and a city centre where the shops have mostly packed up. There are potholes everywhere and the market shuts before you've had your tea. The Usk is mostly mud.
Anti-social behaviour and criminal damage both run at twice the typical town's rate, crime overall at 1.7 times, and the council's fly-tipping at over four times the typical Welsh council's. Even the air's over the health guideline for nitrogen dioxide. Cardiff laugh. Newport gives it back. You knows it.
What the score is made of
Ten ingredients, each marked out of 100. Higher is crapper.
Newport's 96 for fly-tipping means it's crapper than 96% of towns.
- Fly-tipping96/10045.4 incidents per 1,000 people a year, Newport council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
- Criminal damage and arson96/10014.1 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Anti-social behaviour90/10027.5 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Sewage spills80/100869 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
- Serious road collisions78/1003.3 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
- Rain70/100145 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average
- Air pollution53/10010.5 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 6.0 of fine particles, 2024 average
- Food hygiene51/1002.5% rated 0 to 2, of the 689 food businesses with a rating
- Deliberate fires50/100
- Broadband34/1005.5% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 6.9% across the Newport council area
| Pos | Town | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tredegar | 98 |
| 2 | Newport | 97 |
| 3 | Risca | 96 |
| 4 | Ebbw Vale | 96 |
| 5 | Abertillery | 95 |
| 6 | Blackwood | 92 |
| 7 | Caerphilly | 88 |
| 8 | Pontypool | 86 |
| 9 | Ystrad Mynach | 85 |
Newport by numbers
Thinking of moving here? Don't say we didn't warn you.
Crime, muck and dodgy water
- 132 crimes per 1,000 people a year (September 2023 to August 2026) Worse: 1.7x the typical town's 76.2
- 305 reports of potholes and bad road surfaces on FixMyStreet, the most reported problem in the year to October 2026 Worse: 23.3 per 10,000 people, 6.9x the typical town's 3.4
What's left on the high street
- 64 pubs, 124 hairdressers, 15 charity shops, 16 bookmakers, 13 vape shops, 14 banks, 13 Greggs on the map here as of 1 October 2026
- 4.0% of takeaways rated 0 to 2 for hygiene (5 of 125) About the same: About the same as the typical town's 4.0%
- 18 public toilets on the map (October 2026) Worse: 1.4 per 10,000 people, 13% lower than the typical town's 1.6
Getting about, getting online, getting rained on
- 11.52pm last bus out on a Wednesday Worse: Earlier than the typical town's 12.14am
- 1.2% of premises can't get superfast broadband (January 2026) Worse: 2.4x the typical town's 0.5%
- 19.4% live more than 400 metres from a park or play space Worse: 25% higher than the typical town's 15.5%
- 1,613 hours of sunshine a year (1991 to 2020 average) Better: 5% higher than the typical town's 1,532
Newport council
Have a crap-off
Newport 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.