The UK seaside town that's 1 of Britain's 'gloomiest and most depressing places'

A UK seaside town has been blasted by a visitor as the one of the "gloomiest and most depressing places" they've ever visited. Gosport is a town of some 70,000 people located on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire.

The region is known for its rich maritime history, and Gosport is no exception, having previously been a major naval town. But times have been tough for the town in recent years. According to Office for National Stastics figures, the district in which it's located is forecast to see the biggest drop in population of any English local authority over the next ten years, The Telegraph reported.

Gosport Borough Council acknowledges on its website that "based on average ranking of Indices of Multiple Deprivation for neighbourhoods within each local authority area, Gosport is the most deprived local authority area in Hampshire, and the 130th most deprived out of 317 areas in England".

Younger residents told the newspaper they're desperate to leave the seaside spot, as while it's a "nice place to retire", there's "just not much for young people here".

A who posts about visits to UK towns and cities on his channel Turd Town, including Gosport, among the 8 worst places in Hampshire.

The content creator asked "why does this place exist? It is horrific, it has to be one of the most depressing places I've ever visited".

He noted that the town doesn't have a train station and would be "almost be entirely cut off from the world if not for the passenger ferry to Portsmouth", though it doesn't take cars.

The content creator, who admits his subscribers love a scathing review, said it's frustrating given how close Portsmouth is, "but during rush hour it can sometimes take an hour or more".

"There's no train station and the ferry doesn't run at night either, well, that's killed the romance for Gosport couples," he said.

"They're going to have to make do with whatever Gosport has to offer, which doesn't seem to be much. Well, I say that, but it does have a beach which is quite far away from the town, so at the time I didn't realise that it existed."

He said it's also home to a "wide selection of council flats, and if you're looking to open up a shop, there's plenty of empty units to choose from".

"The shopping situation is really bad, it's the worst in this video, and the worst in Hampshire. It feels so tired and dead here. I'd actually go as far as to say it's one of the gloomiest and most depressing places I've ever had the misfortune to visit."

However, he noted that a £38million flagship regeneration project that includes demolition of the old bus station to make way for a "People's park" was underway when he arrived.

He also said Gosport is a cheap place to live by Hampshire standards. According to Rightmove, house prices in Hampshire "have an overall average of £389,732 over the last year", while the overall average over the same period in Gosport was £254,653. Flats in the town sold for an average of £156,169.

Many locals are more positive about the town, despite the challenges it faces.

Richard Cooke, of the Gosport Society told The Telegraph that it's "got harbour life, beaches, sailing. We're in a sheltered pocket here - the winters are mild and temperatures are about three to four degrees warmer than 40 miles away", whilst noting that it's one of the more affordable places on the south coast.

Peter Chegwyn, leader of the council said the park "will have wonderful views across Portsmouth Harbour with bars and bistros, bringing real life into Gosport. New Entertainment facilities, more jobs and more money into Gosport".

Gosport Borough Council has been approached for comment via email.