Crap Towns / Norfolk / Norwich
Norwich
84/100Crap Score
Locals call it Narch.
161st crappest of 984 towns, and 2nd 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 Norwich? Write in.
agree it's crap have defended it
A fine city, it says.
The sign says A Fine City. The fly-tipping says otherwise.
Norwich has a castle, a cathedral, a big old market and a sign at the edge saying A Fine City. The rest of the country knows it as the home patch of a made-up local radio presenter, and the locals have heard the catchphrase enough times, ta.
The fly-tippers love it. The council logged 5,638 dumps in a year, more than three times the typical English council's rate, and most of it on the council's own land. The pollution record shows 25 serious incidents in or near the city since 2016, and 16 places have made the Heritage at Risk register, so the fine bits are going too. Anglia Square's redevelopment gives everyone something else to swear about.
Ipswich fans call them Budgies. Norwich doesn't find it funny. Ipswich does.
What the score is made of
Ten ingredients, each marked out of 100. Higher is crapper.
Norwich's 95 for fly-tipping means it's crapper than 95% of towns.
- Fly-tipping95/10037.8 incidents per 1,000 people a year, Norwich council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
- Serious road collisions88/1003.8 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
- Criminal damage and arson78/1009.3 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Air pollution75/1009.1 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.4 of fine particles, 2024 average
- Deliberate fires60/1006.9 per 10,000 people a year, April 2023 to March 2026
- Broadband58/1008.7% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 10.9% across the Norwich council area
- Anti-social behaviour57/10016.2 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Food hygiene46/1002.3% rated 0 to 2, of the 1,418 food businesses with a rating
- Rain46/100126 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average
- Sewage spills25/10065.7 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
| 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.
Norwich by numbers
Thinking of moving here? Don't say we didn't warn you.
Crime, muck and dodgy water
- 92.9 crimes per 1,000 people a year (September 2023 to August 2026) Worse: 22% higher than the typical town's 76.2
- 135 reports of potholes and bad road surfaces on FixMyStreet, the most reported problem in the year to October 2026 Worse: 6.7 per 10,000 people, 2x the typical town's 3.4
- 25 serious pollution incidents within 1 km since 2016, the latest in 2026
What's left on the high street
- 121 pubs, 160 hairdressers, 54 charity shops, 18 bookmakers, 14 vape shops, 14 banks, 11 Greggs on the map here as of 1 October 2026
- 4.8% of takeaways rated 0 to 2 for hygiene (9 of 189) Worse: 20% higher than the typical town's 4.0%
- 6 bank branch closures announced since 2022 Better: 3.0 per 100,000 people, 12% lower than the typical town's 3.4
- 47 public toilets on the map (October 2026) Better: 2.3 per 10,000 people, 44% higher than the typical town's 1.6
- 18 public swimming pools open; 4 closed for good since 2010 Better: 0.9 per 10,000 people, 29% higher than the typical English town's 0.7
- 16 places on England's Heritage at Risk register
Getting about, getting online, getting rained on
- All night buses on a Wednesday Better: The typical town's last bus goes at 12.14am
- 0.5% of premises can't get superfast broadband (January 2026) About the same: About the same as the typical town's 0.5%
- 20.3% live more than 400 metres from a park or play space Worse: 31% higher than the typical town's 15.5%
- 1,582 hours of sunshine a year (1991 to 2020 average) About the same: About the same as the typical town's 1,532
Norwich council
- £2,503 Band D council tax (2026-27) About the same: £111 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%
- 4 ombudsman complaints upheld against the council in 2025-26
- More on the council
Have a crap-off
Norwich 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.