South Ockendon

Saaf Ocky. There's a pub. And another pub.

Twinned with a Ford Capri on bricks

37/100Crap Score

619th crappest of 984 towns, and 16th in Essex. 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

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Ockendump, the locals say

It made fast cars. Now it's a long walk to the station and nothing to do.

South Ockendon used to make fast Fords, and some of the streets are named after the cars. Now it's 5 pubs, a few basic shops and not much else, and the station's a long walk from most of town. Locals call it Saaf Ocky, Shockendon or Ockendump. Take your pick.

There's Belhus parkland for when the pubs get boring. The air spoils it, with 1.7 times the typical town's nitrogen dioxide. 1.8% of homes and businesses are stuck without superfast, more than three and a half times the typical town's share, so even the telly's struggling.

The editor, who drove through on a street named after a Ford

What the score is made of

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

South Ockendon's 95 for air pollution means it's crapper than 95% of towns.

Air pollution95/10014.0 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 8.2 of fine particles, 2024 average
Fly-tipping74/10015.9 incidents per 1,000 people a year, Thurrock council area, 2022-23 to 2024-25
Food hygiene71/1004.7% rated 0 to 2, of the 64 food businesses with a rating
Deliberate fires55/1006.1 per 10,000 people a year, April 2023 to March 2026
Criminal damage and arson35/1006.0 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
Serious road collisions33/1002.0 per 10,000 people a year, fatal and serious, 2021 to 2025
Anti-social behaviour32/1008.2 per 1,000 people a year, September 2023 to August 2026
Broadband30/1004.6% of premises can't get gigabit, January 2026, and 7.2% across the Thurrock council area
Sewage spills6/1001.4 spill hours per 10,000 people a year, storm overflows within 1 km, 2023 to 2025
Rain2/100107 days of rain a year, at least 1 mm, 1991 to 2020 average

**Your patch: Essex**Towns in the same county. Top of the table is crappest.
Pos	Town	National	Score
12	Epping	518th	47
13	Grays	531st	46
14	Chigwell	561st	43
15	Loughton	579th	41
In danger of becoming nice from here down.16	South Ockendon	619th	37
17	Buckhurst Hill	625th	37
18	Thundersley and South Benfleet	665th	32
19	Billericay	702nd	29
20	Witham	709th	28

Below the dashed line: in danger of becoming nice.

South Ockendon 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

Thurrock council

Have a crap-off

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

Against

South OckendonCrap Score 37

AveleyCrap Score 38

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