A once popular seaside town that has lost its tourists due to "stabbings and shootings" has seen house prices plunge as low as £5,000.
Horden, in Durham, was a thriving mining community but it is is now a very different place since the collapse of the industry.
On the north east coast, the town home to around 8,500 residents is bordered by the two picturesque Denes, the villages of Easington Colliery and Blackhall Colliery, and by the new town of Peterlee.
Four properties were listed on RightMove in late May this year up for auction with a starting price of £5,000.
Locals in the area blamed the rising crime and lack of proper attention from the authorities as the reasons behind the downfall of the village.
One local from Horden told the Express: “We are based in the most deprived area of County Durham. The council has given homes to the most deprived people and not many people come to this area.
“No tourist would want to come to this village as there have been numerous cases of stabbings and shooting.”
In March, two men were arrested for manslaughter after a delivery van driver died in Horden.
The town’s proud and long-time mining history gained fame across Europe, after tireless workers set a record for the most coal mined in a single day, extracting 6,758 tonnes on May 9, 1930.
By the 1930s Horden Colliery was known as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the region, and the largest producing coalmine in Britain.
The Horden Colliery was shut in February 1987, as the coal mining industry in the UK died and since then the village has suffered social and economic issues.
Among the recently sold properties in Horden, one in Tees Street went for £30,250 - despite it being bought for almost double the price in 2006. Another, in Seventh Street, was sold in February for £22,750, while four years ago it was sold for £36,000, reported the Manchester Evening News.
A spokesperson from Horden Parish Council said: “The parish council is aware of the decline in the village since the colliery closed in the late 1980s and the effect on house prices.
“The NCB housing stock was sold off, especially from one social housing supplier and it is now predominantly in the hands of absent landlords and that is probably the reason behind the decline of the village.
“The ownership of the houses is mostly with landlords and many of them don’t look after the properties. The Government has also failed to invest in the local community.
“We are in a catch-22 situation until the Government changes the metrics that decides the process of making the investment. There have been numerous visits by the Government departments into the village and we have made our issues clear too but there has been no investment in the area.
“As a result, the housing stock continues to decline. The houses are being sold by auction not in the local area but in London and Birmingham.”
But not all the homes which recently hit the market went for such a low price.
Amy Harhoff, Durham County Council’s corporate director for regeneration, economy and growth told express.co.uk: “We recognise the challenges facing Horden and are committed to doing everything we can to address them, including working with government and wider partners to support the area.
“Our bid for Levelling Up funding for the Easington constituency would have meant £20m being invested in Horden, including new housing and education facilities but regrettably this was not successful.
“We are nevertheless committed to investing £6m of council resources in Horden and will be working closely with the community on delivery of this over the coming months. We will also continue to explore other opportunities for funding including those presented by devolution.
“Through the Horden Together project, which we are piloting in the community, we work with other agencies to tackle issues that matter to local people including crime and health.
“Our Visit County Durham tourism service also works to promote the Durham Heritage Coast on which Horden lies with the aim of attracting more people to the area who will spend money in the community and help the local economy grow.”
