Houses selling for just £5,000 in ‘ghost town’ that was once thriving seaside destination

Houses in a once-thriving seaside destination have been put on the market for just £5,000 amidst claims it is now a “ghost town.”

Four properties in the village of Horden, County Durham have been placed on RightMove for just £5,000 – two of these are two-bed terraced houses, and one a three-bed.

Elsewhere, similar properties are up for guide prices of £15,000, £22,000 and £25,000 respectively.

In February 2023, the UK House Price Index marked the average UK house price at £288,000, £16,000 higher than in February 2022. These averages skyrocketed to £308,000 in England, marking a 6.0 percent increase, £215,000 in Wales, £180,000 in Scotland and £175,000 in Northern Ireland.

A former mining hotspot, Horden has suffered high unemployment levels since its closure in 1987. The population dipped to just 8,500 in the 2001 census, with its residents further experiencing above-average health issues and poor housing options.

In 1951, the village’s population peaked at 15,000, and by 1964, there were cinemas, sports pitches and a bowling green. Having opened in 1904, the colliery operated until 1987, when the UK-wide coal mining industry was shut down by the Thatcher government following a wave of strikes in 1984 and 1985.

YouTuber David Burnip – whose channel is named Wandering Turnip – recently visited the seaside destination, delving into the reasons behind its decline. Finding “entire streets that were boarded up”, Mr Burnip spoke with one local, who noted that the village has “gone down the banks since the collieries finished.”

"You had all the working men’s clubs, and all the public houses. Practically none left here now”, the resident remarked. “I mean the pits was hard work but at least it was a job.”

After the mines closed, workers either “went to the factories” or “took redundancy”, changing the village’s economic landscape.

Drug use has also taken hold in the last 20 years, the resident added, noting that “there’s a lot of the younger generation on the drugs now”, as is the case with locals in their 40s and 50s.

Meanwhile, residents in the seaside town of Whitstable, Kent have described being driven from their homes by holiday rentals that have supposedly “hollowed out” the local community.

Locals have expressed frustration that homes previously filled by locals are now being used by visitors throwing loud parties, blocking driveways, taking up vital parking spaces and leaving the streets covered in rubbish.

Those desperate to find a solution attended a meeting this month to discuss ways to regulate the industry, hosted by members of Canterbury City Council’s Green Party in a bid to find a way to balance the issues with the benefits of tourism.