Crap Towns / Mid Glamorgan / Rhondda
Rhondda
71/100Crap Score
285th crappest of 984 towns, and 2nd in Mid Glamorgan. 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 Rhondda? Write in.
agree it's crap have defended it
Fawr or Fach? Get it right.
Terraces, choirs, green mountains, potholes, and black bags waiting for a collection.
The Rhondda is terraced streets under green mountains, male voice choirs and endless arguing about whether you mean Fawr or Fach. The black bags sit out waiting for the bin men.
It rains on 182 days a year, and the total comes to getting on for three times the typical town's. Sewage goes in the water for 19 times the typical town's hours, and 7.1% of food places come in at 0 to 2 for hygiene, three times the typical town's share. Lovely singing, mind.
What the score is made of
Ten ingredients, each marked out of 100. Higher is crapper.
Rhondda's 99 for sewage spills means it's crapper than 99% of towns.
- Sewage spills99/1005,352 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
- Rain98/100182 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average
- Food hygiene86/1007.1% rated 0 to 2, of the 85 food businesses with a rating
- Fly-tipping71/10015.3 incidents per 1,000 people a year, Rhondda Cynon Taf council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
- Criminal damage and arson61/1007.8 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Broadband57/1004.6% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 18.6% across the Rhondda Cynon Taf council area
- Deliberate fires50/100
- Anti-social behaviour31/10012.2 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
- Serious road collisions29/1001.8 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
- Air pollution13/1005.8 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 5.0 of fine particles, 2024 average
| Pos | Town | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porth | 76 |
| 2 | Rhondda | 71 |
| 3 | Merthyr Tydfil | 69 |
| 4 | Aberdare | 68 |
| 5 | Pontypridd | 57 |
| 6 | Maesteg | 53 |
| 7 | Tonypandy | 52 |
| 8 | Mountain Ash | 49 |
| 9 | Tonyrefail | 44 |
Rhondda by numbers
Thinking of moving here? Don't say we didn't warn you.
Crime, muck and dodgy water
- 78.9 crimes per 1,000 people a year (September 2023 to August 2026) About the same: About the same as the typical town's 76.2
- 5 reports of fly-tipping on FixMyStreet, the most reported problem in the year to October 2026 Worse: 3.8 per 10,000 people, 3.5x the typical town's 1.1
What's left on the high street
- 4 pubs, 5 hairdressers on the map here as of 1 October 2026
- 5.6% of takeaways rated 0 to 2 for hygiene (1 of 18) Worse: 40% higher than the typical town's 4.0%
- 6 public toilets on the map (October 2026) Better: 4.5 per 10,000 people, 2.8x the typical town's 1.6
Getting about, getting online, getting rained on
- 11.53pm last bus out on a Wednesday Worse: Earlier than the typical town's 12.14am
- Under 0.1% of premises can't get superfast broadband (January 2026) Better: Far lower than the typical town's 0.5%
- 25.2% live more than 400 metres from a park or play space Worse: 1.6x the typical town's 15.5%
- 1,467 hours of sunshine a year (1991 to 2020 average) About the same: About the same as the typical town's 1,532
Rhondda Cynon Taf council
Have a crap-off
Rhondda 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.