The market town of Egremont has been condemned as “crushingly depressing” by one angry visitor but it is actually a thriving place which is “on the up”.

About three miles from the Cumbrian coast and a 10 minute drive to the edge of the beautiful Lake District National Park, is arguably best known as the home of the World Gurning Championship, a face pulling contest known around the globe.

Norman castle ruins, a “fantastic” arts hub and the annual Apple Cart Parade, which includes free concerts and traditional Cumberland wrestling, are also not to be sniffed at.

Despite its many rural charms, one visitor took to the I Live Here review website to deliver a damning verdict, describing Egremont as “desperately depressing”.

In a 285 word-long tirade, they wrote: “This is a land that the UK forgot. No amount of leveling up can bring this place back to life. Leveling up – it simply needs leveling.”

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The excoriating reviewer ended their appraisal by noting if they stayed there beyond a weekend they would need prozac and a bottle of gin to “dull out” the “overwhelming sense of waste and depression”. 

Sam Pollen, a Labour councillor who represents Egremont at Cumberland Council, told Express.co.uk the town has been hit by cuts and Covid over the past 10 years, but is on the up.

He said: “It’s a fantastic town and a wonderful place to live. We have new businesses opening up, including cafes, a florist’s and a community nursery.

“We’re taking the steps we need to take us back to where we should be. Like many small towns, it’s been difficult, but we’re on the way back.”

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Mr Pollen hailed Egremont’s three fantastic primary schools and outstanding secondary academy, adding: “People want to live here.

“We live in a beautiful, glorious area on the edge of the Lake District. We are five minutes from a beautiful coast and the beautiful village of St Bees.”

Egremont, which has a population of around 7,000, is also near the county’s largest employer, the Sellafield nuclear site in West Cumbria.

It boasts a monthly farmers’ market, Lowes Court Gallery and Florence Arts Centre. But according to Mr Pollen, the rugby, football and bowls clubs, as well as an army of volunteers, play a key role in making the town thrive.

Egremont also has a long, proud history, with the town granted a charter to hold an annual fair in 1266, with some claiming this makes it the oldest in the country.

Mr Pollen said: “It’s a vibrant town. Although the past 10 years have been challenging, we’re on the up with funding to regenerate the town centre.

“The way people shop has changed town centres. We’ve got to adapt and be positive. Egremont should be bigger and better, of course it should be, but all councils in the country are very hard pressed. Cuts have an impact.

“But even through all that, I remain positive we can turn things around. I’m very proud of my town.”

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