A seaside town dubbed one of the UK’s worst welcomed one visitor with a fight on streets strewn with rubbish and cigarette butts.

Clacton-on-Sea has earned the name “Crapton” from unimpressed tourists, who have long criticised the resort town on the Essex coast.

While photos show its long, sandy beaches crowded with people on sunny days, for some, the picture is far less glamorous.

The blue waters seen on tourist brochures are anything but, one visitor has noted, with the sea appearing “like sewage”.

Writing for the Daily Star, reporter Billie Schwab Dunn found the town was even disliked by several of its residents.

Clacton-on-Sea was once one of the UK’s most sought-after seaside destinations, with its primary role being to attract holidaymakers.

Visitor numbers peaked between the summer months of the 1950s and 1970s, thanks to its wealth of activities.

Post-pandemic, the town still sees just under a million visitors per year, with Tendring Council reporting 950,000 in 2022.

But before Covid hit the UK, it was ranked one of the worst seaside towns in the country, with independent consumers Which? placing it third from the bottom of 106 resorts on its league table.

READ MORE: ‘Beautiful’ beach crowned one of Britain’s best

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The town scored a customer score of 48 percent, with Miss Schwab Dunn similarly unimpressed by her experience.

The reporter arrived at the beach to find the town looking “run-down and rough”, leaving her feeling “on edge”.

As she ventured down to the seafront, she found it looking a “dark brown”, reminding her of sewage, with an “unidentifiable stench” hanging in the air.

She watched two locals fight on her way back to the station, and a passerby said people were “used to” seeing scuffles break out.

Despite her less-than-stellar experience, many people still enjoy the town, which still remains comparatively popular.

Clacton-on-Sea Beach and its local attractions have many five-star ratings, with one reviewer praising the “lovely clean sandy beach with palm trees, and another pleased by Clacton Pier’s “lovely staff”.

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