New book savages English resorts

A new edition of a guide book to England has reportedly “savaged” certain towns, cities and resorts around the country, causing anger among local authorities. The publishers of the Rough Guide to England reportedly claim that the overall tone of the book is “upbeat”, doing justice to what England has to offer for tourists – but that is unlikely to sooth those whose task it is to draw tourists to certain destinations around the country. Seaside resorts come in for some of the worst criticism, according to the Daily Mail, which devotes a whole page to describing the book. Herne Bay is described as “drab” and “a relic from a bygone age when holidaymakers believed sitting on a wind-blasted patch of shingle and sand was something to look forward to”, while Southend has “little to raise the spirits”. And Dover, which “doesn’t have what it takes to induce many travellers to linger” is even criticised because its cliffs are not white enough: “Pollution has taken some of the edge off the whiteness, and the best views are to be had from several miles out to sea.” By way of contrast, many towns do come in for praise, such as Hull, which has “excellent historic pubs” and Liverpool, which is “becoming brighter”. But that does not console the powers that be in those resorts that took the brunt of the criticism. One Dover councillor reportedly told the newspaper: “We are trying to regenerate this town and cheap shots like this do not help. To attack the cliffs for not being while is ridiculous. It has nothing to do with pollution – they are partly covered with vegetation and appear grey.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad