Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK^[1] and Crap Towns II: The Nation Decides ^[2] are a series of humorous, but completely unscientific books edited by Sam Jordison and Dan Kieran and published in association with UK Quarterly The Idler. Towns in the UK were nominated by visitors to the Idler Website for their 'crapness', with the results being published in The Idler and in the books. A sister publication Crap Jobs was created by similar means, and Crap Holidays was published in October 2006. This article discusses humour in terms of comedy and laughter. ... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... Dan Kieran is Deputy Editor of The Idler, a bi-yearly British magazine. ... Quarterly means once a quarter (i. ... The Idler issue 36, the money issue The Idler is a bi-yearly British magazine devoted to promoting its ethos of idle living and all that entails. ... A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ... ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

The books brought controversy^[3], with many notable figures being quick to defend their town. These included a number of MPs such as Michael Howard, MP for Hythe in Kent, which appeared at Number 4 in the 2003 edition. In towns across the country, a number of local newspapers urged their readers to boycott the titles in protest. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... The Rt Hon. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... There are several places named Hythe: In England: Hythe, Kent (a large village) Hythe, Hampshire (a town) Hythe End a village, now part of Staines In Canada: Hythe, Alberta (a village in Canada) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ...

In 2006, The Idler website developed a 'Crap' section expanding upon the list of Crap Towns. Further nominations now include Bradford, Peterborough and Taunton although a third edition of the book is not mentioned. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The larger City of Bradford Metropolitan District includes other settlements in the surrounding area. ... Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority in the East of England, with an estimated population of 161,000 as of 2006. ... Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. ...

Controversy

Publication of Crap Towns brought widespread criticism from residents, politicians and other notable figures from the towns listed. The editors of the book wrote to "local worthies"^[4] in each of the nominated towns to gain their responses and views. Local newspapers, such as the Stockport Express^[5] were also quick to defend 'their' towns, whilst some national commentators, such as Sarfraz Manzoor in The Guardian^[6] tended to agree with the result. Sarfraz Manzoor (born June 9 1971) is a British writer, journalist, documentary maker, and broadcaster. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Survey results

Readers voted for the top 50 crap towns in the UK. The top ten by reader votes in descending order of "crapness" (with 1 being the worst) were:

Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... For other uses, see Luton (disambiguation). ... Cumbernauld (Gaelic: Comar nan Allt) is a new town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, created in 1956 as a population overflow for Glasgow. ... Windsor (IPA: usually , but also ) is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. ... Morecambe is a resort town in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. ... The Wearmouth Bridge Sunderland (pronounced: , or ) is a city in North East England which was formerly a county borough, and is now part of the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear. ... Hythe (pronounced ) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way) on the south coast of Kent. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ... “Glaswegian” redirects here. ... Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ... Clapham is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see St Andrews (disambiguation). ... Bath is a city in South West England most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... Basingstoke railway station, as seen from Alençon Link. ... Shown within Northamptonshire Geography Status: Borough Region: East Midlands Admin. ... The London Borough of Hackney is a London Borough in the east end of London and part of inner London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the town in North East England. ...

References

1. ^ Jordison, Sam; Dan Kieran (October 2003). Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK. Boxtree. ISBN 0-7522-1582-5. 
2. ^ Jordison, Sam; Dan Kieran (October 2004). Crap Towns II: The Nation Decides. Boxtree. ISBN 0-7522-2545-6. 
3. ^ Jordison, Sam. The co-editor of 'Crap Towns' takes on the local papers. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
4. ^ Daily Telegraph. To Hull and back. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
5. ^ Stockport Express. Residents defend town against ‘hell-hole’ tag. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
6. ^ The Guardian. Don't knock crap towns. We need them.. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• BBC News — “UK’s ‘worst 50’ towns revealed” — with list of the ten worst
• BBC News — “Luton voted Britain’s worst town” — with list of the ten worst in Crap Towns II