A MARKET town once hailed as a glittering hotspot of the 1970s is now a “dystopian slum” blighted by balaclava-clad yobs, locals say.

Councillors have admitted is “falling apart and ruined”, with more than 40 shopping units sitting empty in the town.

A row of rundown and shuttered shops on a town street in Dudley.
Councillors have admitted Dudley is ‘falling apart and ruined’ Credit: SWNS
Two people on mopeds stopped on a street corner, with a double-decker bus and buildings in the background.
Locals say they dare not venture into the town due to balaclava-clad yobs on e-bikes Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Locals say their , despite undergoing multi-million pound regeneration plans.

Other terrified residents have also spoken of a surge in antisocial behaviour, making it unsafe to go out after dark.

Some say they dare not venture into the town due to balaclava-clad yobs on e-bikes and youths brazenly taking or drinking on the streets.

And speaking at a council meeting last month, Dudley’s former mayor even starkly admitted to his colleagues that their “town is ruined.”

Police officers on patrol in the pedestrianized shopping street of Dudley.
Terrified residents have also spoken of a surge in antisocial behaviour Credit: Roland Leon
A street view in Dudley showing rows of shops with closed roller shutters along a road with traffic lights.
More than 40 shopping units are sitting empty in the West Midlands town Credit: Roland Leon

Councillor David Stanley said: “We have a derelict pub right in front of it which we have done nothing about.

“When you get off the tram or the bus that’s the first thing you see, the place is falling apart, when you walk up the town it is ruined.”

Depressing photos have since laid bare the town’s derelict high street with rows of boarded-up shops – a far cry from its 70s heyday.

Councillor Stanley said people had been talking about regeneration in the town for years, but little seemed to happen.

Black and white aerial view of Dudley in the West Midlands, showing the Trindle Road traffic island below and Dudley Castle in the background.
An aerial view of Dudley in 1976 – during its heyday Credit: Alamy
A nearly deserted covered market hall in Dudley, featuring empty stalls and a mosaic on the floor.
Depressing photos have since laid bare the town’s derelict high street Credit: SWNS

His comments struck a chord with many locals, including Harriet Manly, 40, who went as far as to say that Dudley is “dead”.

The mum-of-one said: “They have spent millions on new connections but nobody wants to come here as all the shops are closed.

“I won’t come into town after dark, it’s proper rough. There’s idiots in balaclavas riding e-bikes and e-scooters.

“There’s loads of shoplifting, general antisocial behaviour and fighting – it’s just grim. It looks almost dystopian.

A dilapidated stone building in Dudley with boarded-up storefronts and scaffolding on the left.
Dozens of shop fronts look derelict and uncared for Credit: SWNS
The Duncan Edwards statue in Dudley market.
Manchester United legend Duncan Edwards is among Dudley’s famous residents Credit: SWNS

“When you’ve got your own politicians telling you it’s falling apart, that says everything you need to know.”

For more than 800 years, the market place was the beating heart of the town.

In the 1970 and 80s, it was home to Marks & Spencer, BHS, Littlewoods, Dorothy Perkins, Woolworths, Burtons and H Samuel.

But all those big names are long gone and current market traders say the current climate is bleak.

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Locals say youths are brazenly drinking and smoking in the street Credit: Roland Leon
An outdoor market with empty stalls under blue and yellow awnings, and a few vendors setting up in the background.
Market traders say the current climate is bleak Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Some have reported taking as little as £60 a day as people swap the formerly bustling high street for online shopping.

Chris Bradwick, 62, of nearby Tipton, has run a stall at the town’s historic open-air market for the last five years.

He said: “I have watched as Dudley has slowly gone to nothing day-by-day.

“It hasn’t been helped by constant broken promises by the council.”

Even Dudley Council’s own walk-in shop closed last year, while a former Debenhams is now partly occupied by a Wetherspoons pub.

The area also counts Sir Lenny Henry, Sue Lawley, Sam Allardyce and Duncan Edwards among its famous residents.

But locals say they have little more to be proud of.

Pub-goer Stephen Bradley, 33, added: “My dad used to tell me how vibrant it was in the 70s and 80s.

An aerial view of the town center of Dudley, showing empty market stalls and surrounding buildings under an overcast sky.
Big names such as Marks & Spencer, BHS, Dorothy Perkins and Woolworths are long gone Credit: SWNS
A stone fountain in a nearly empty town square in Dudley, with a few people walking past closed shops and the Plaza Mall.
Locals say they have little to be proud of Credit: SWNS

“But now there’s nothing worth coming into town for apart from a pint. And even then you have to have your wits about you.

“It’s a shame as I’m Black Country born and bred but there’s little hope for the next generation if you stick around these parts.”

Dudley Council has invested £24 million on a new bus-and-tram station which is due to open within weeks.

But residents have slammed the move as pointless, fuming that “there are no shops to even visit”.

A boarded-up and derelict building in Dudley with a parked white car and a pedestrian with an umbrella.
Residents say ‘there’s no shops to even visit’ in the area Credit: SWNS
A row of closed shops with metal security shutters pulled down over their windows and doors, located along a paved walkway beneath a covered arcade.
Shutters are down on dozens of shops across the town Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

This week, a seating area added as part of a £150,000 market revamp was ripped out after 16 months.

The decision was made after the the stalls became infested with pigeons and people gathering to drink alcohol.

Anne Boyd, director of growth and place at Dudley Council said: “Dudley Council is working closely with Dudley town centre traders and community groups as our programme of regeneration continues to bring investment to the town.

“Market traders in Dudley town centre recently raised concerns that marketplace seating, which was installed last year with funding from the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, was sometimes creating issues around antisocial behaviour.

“We have now removed the seating from the marketplace with it now benefitting visitors to Himley Hall and Park.”

Dudley Council has been approached for comment.