It has also been named as one of the most ‘zen’ places to live in the countryJust north of London is a town overrun by barber shops that was once named the worst place to live in the UK.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has suggested that Luton in Bedfordshire, with a population of 231,028, has 145 barber shops.
Outside of London, there are 180 in Medway, Kent.
In 2023, Luton was named as the worst place to live in England in a viral online poll by online community review website ilivehere.co.uk.
Some of the negative reviews for the town included: “The town itself is not easy on the eye.”
Another said: “It makes Slough comparable to the playboy tax exile haven of Monaco.”
Luton also appeared in a list of the most ‘depressing’ towns in 2024, Luton features.
It was described as “England’s toilet”, coming in at number 11, The Mirror reports.
The newspaper found during a visit to Luton that the word “unsafe” pops up regularly when describing life in the town.This was particularly the case when it comes to being in the town centre in the evening time.
Employment was also mentioned as an issue, and coupled with the lack of bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
This “inevitably means people hang around the streets”.
In addition, research from Shelter in 2023 found that more than 3,443 people in Luton were classed as homeless.
This made it the worst area for people without permanent accommodation in the east of England.
Although, Luton has also been ranked as one of the most chilled-out spots in the UK.
In March this year, it was considered the fifth most zen place in the UK, only just beaten by Bournemouth.
It also came second for having the lowest levels of anxiety.
Police have also raised concerns some barber shops, which are often in the same street as other outlets and seemingly with not many customers, could be money-laundering operations for crime gangs.But a manager at Istanbul Barbers in Darlington said this was not true and described the claims as “insulting”.
Ako Omar, 35, told MailOnline: “We’re a hard-working business so it’s frustrating to see Turkish barber shops being linked to crime.
