Fake News Jaywick

A United States congressional candidate has used a picture of a British seaside village Jaywick to show what could happen if voters do not back President Trump.

An advert used an image of Jaywick Sands, near Clacton in Essex, to attack Nick Stella's Democrat opponent.

From Wikipedia: Jaywick is a seaside village in the Tendring district of Essex, England, 2 miles (3 km) west of Clacton-on-Sea. It lies on the North Sea coast of England, 60 miles (97 km) from London and 17 miles (27 km) from Colchester. It was constructed in the 1930s as a holiday resort for Londoners, but over time has become one of the most deprived areas in the country.

The land was originally a combination of fields and salt marshes, and was generally unsuitable for agricultural use. It was purchased by the entrepreneur Frank Stedman in 1928 to provide low cost, affordable holiday homes for working-class families, and became a popular holiday destination throughout the 1930s. After the Second World War, a shortage of housing meant the properties gradually became permanently inhabited, despite not being designed for regular use. The local community resisted demolition of the worst estates, and the government tightly controlled building regulations in the village while attempting to rehouse residents elsewhere.

Many of the holiday homes were never designed for long-term residence and are now in a state of disrepair. According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation of both 2010 and 2015, the eastern half of the village is the most deprived area of England. Jaywick has significant problems with unemployment and is at risk of flooding, despite several attempts by the local council and government to transform the area.

Image:  Jaywick following the North Sea flood of 1953. 

ABC Note: Jaywick was badly affected by the North Sea flood of 1953, Jaywick was flooded, resulting in the deaths of 35 people. As a result, many of the houses that were not designed to be permanently habited have struggled to get investment and are seen as an insurance risk. Jaywick is one of the few towns not to have a superstore. Things are changing, and money is being spent regenerating the area. Residents object to the ‘Benefit Street’ connotation and TV personality and model Jodie Marsh was allegedly pelted with rubbish by locals when she arrived to do one such programme.

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