Luton, a town in Bedfordshire in the East of England, hit the headlines last week for an unfortunate reason as it was crowned the 'worst place to live in England' in an annual survey.
The poll, compiled by iLivehere, saw a clear majority of 105,598 voters pick Luton as the 'winner', overtaking from Peterborough.
Some of the voters harshly described the town as "not easy on the eye", while another claimed that it made "Slough comparable to the 'Playboy tax haven of Monaco'."
All towns have their positives and negatives, and what one person might see as a charming aspect of their home, another might see as tired, run-down or outdated.
It's normally said that home is where the heart is, but for some Luton residents, it's clear to them why their town has made the list, after The Mirror visited to chat to the locals.
As you arrive at the train station, which is just minutes from Luton Airport, many people might be initially pleasantly surprised, especially on a gorgeously sunny day.
You can normally see a steady flow of people making their way to the town centre, past the Hat Factory Arts Centre where a crowd of people are gathered, everyone pointing at a hat. That makes more sense when you know that Luton was known as the home of ladies' straw hat manufacture in the 20th century.
On the way in to the town centre you can see big, inspirational signs saying 'If you can dream it you must do it', and another saying 'The future demands your participation' – but from speaking to the locals, these signs don't sum up people's feelings about the place.
Much of the city's hustle and bustle takes place within The Mall Luton, which has plenty of shops, but a curious lack of high street brands.
The Mall, which was previously called the Arndale Centre, does have H&M, JD Sports, Schuh and TK Maxx, but I was told many other shops had to shut down during the pandemic. Instead you'll mostly find smaller, independent places. You won't find any restaurants, but you will see some fast food places like Burger King, and Chopstix Noodle bar.
Straight after exiting the mall you'll find the high street, where you'll find many variations of Poundland, where they sell everything you could need for £1.
For many locals, the word "unsafe" pops up regularly when describing life in Luton, particularly when it comes to being in the town centre in the evening time.
Employment is mentioned as an issue, and coupled with the lack of bars, restaurants and nightclubs, it inevitably means people hang around the streets.
In addition, new research from Shelter found that more than 3,443 people in Luton are classed as homeless, making it the worst area for people without permanent accommodation in the East of England.
Agnieszka Cwieluch, manager at the Polish Café Smaczek in the town centre, has lived in Luton for almost 18 years, and thinks whether or not it's a "bad" place to live depends on "your perception".
There are some nice sides to it, such as the Warden Hills and Stockwood Park, where she likes to walk her dog in the daytime.
Luton also has other lovely areas and tourist attractions to visit, such as Wardown House and Wrest Park, which won a TripAdvisor's Travellers Choice Award in 2022.
The coffee shop manager, who previously studied business at the University of Bedfordshire, added: "If you want to create the life you like it doesn't matter where you live, I think."
However, she does feel that Luton is "unsafe", especially for her teenage daughter in the town centre in the evenings and weekends. She said: "I wouldn't let my daughter go out for a few hours at night time."
She explained that there are "suspicious" people and she has previously had a scary incident herself when she was out walking her dog.
One of the problems is that there aren't "enough places for young people like my daughter" to go.
The 45-year-old is now looking to move away to somewhere "more quiet like a village".
Metin Bas, owner of the Arndale Newsagency inside the mall, has lived in Luton for 21 years, and thinks the town deserves the title "worst place to live in England".
One of the town's main problems is that "I don't trust the police," said the 50-year-old. "They don't do their job," he added, based on past experiences. He mentioned that there are many "thieves and beggars" outside the mall, who "come inside to steal stuff all the time," but that "the police say they can't do anything about it".
The mall and the high street are some of the worst areas, according to Metin. He added: "If you look in the evening, everyone shuts down. People are scared and I don't feel safe.
"Other people are scared to come to the town centre".
Business owner Lorna Smith, who moved to Luton from London two-and-a-half years ago, thinks the town has its "good and bad areas" like every other place you go to. She added: "I'm sure there are worse places to live than Luton" and that the "harsh" title might "upset people" who were born there.
Lorna loves chatting to customers who come to her indoor market stall Sahara Bee, where she welcomes "people from all different types of cultures".
She added: "Luton isn't a bad place. There are things that could be improved on. There could be improvements on facilities for the youths, for people with mental health issues and substance abuse."
Even so, Lorna says you can "see that some things are starting to happen". She added: "I just feel like the councillors and the people in government need to take on board that there is a lack of facilities".
The 38-year-old would like to see more bars and restaurants, and also notes that there is a "lack of employment in the area," but assures me that it's "not a bad place".
Two international students in the town centre had very differing opinions on Luton.
Naman Agarwal, who is currently on the second year of his International Business degree at the University of Bedfordshire said that he agrees to an extent that it is a bad place to live.
The student, who moved from Nepal, explained: "It's not fun. It's not all that great here financially."
"Looking around at the people who are in the town centre, it just feels a little sad and [...] everyone is not happy about something here. Everyone walks around with a frown on their face."
The 21-year-old is "really happy" he met friends at the University, and said "otherwise I wouldn't be here". Naman added: "Honestly, after a year I would have moved somewhere else."
Meanwhile, International Banking and Finance student Axel Bi Dje, had a slightly more positive outlook on life in Luton.
The 21-year-old, who comes from the Ivory Coast, doesn't agree that it is the worst place to live in the country. He added: "Most of the time it depends on your perception of things."
"Luton, for me, is a better place to live as a student than London, which is much more expensive. Financially, it's better to stay in Luton," although he would consider moving there to get a job.
Comparing it to his home, he says the "infrastructure is better", and he also says the "police is good". "I've never had an issue with the police here," Axel added.
Commenting on feeling safe in Luton, Axel said he's never had a problem, but recognises that it might be different for more vulnerable people.
Do you think Luton is a bad place to live? Let us know in the comments below.
