A housing estate where yobs run riot and rip live pigeons apart has been named "Britain's roughest" by a travel vlogger who found a squashed RAT in a kid's park. <br /><br />Residents in Blakenall Heath, Walsall, West Mids., have told how they are living in fear in their area which has been compared to 'war-torn Ukraine'.<br /><br />They say their lives have been plagued by gangs of knife-wielding youths, some as young as 10, who have been causing havoc for the past three years. <br /><br />A Youtuber who has now visited the crime-stricken area branded Blakenall Heath 'Britain's roughest estate' off the back of his own experience. <br /><br />The UK Explored channel, which gives tours of cities and towns across the country, said the estate "felt and smelt dangerous" with a crime rate double the UK average. <br /><br />The presenter even goes on to discover a flattened dead rat in a children's play park while filming around the area. <br /><br />He says: "To be honest it scared me. The moment I walked on to Dawson Street a woman told me to 'F off'.<br /><br />"She made a call on her phone and I didn't wait to see who she was calling and made a quick exit.<br /><br />"There are 400 crimes reported each month in Blakenall alone. Most of which are violent offences and antisocial behaviour.<br /><br />"When I googled the news for the area it was nothing short of shocking. <br /><br />"There were stories of people being shot at and children tearing up pigeons and throwing them into the chippy. And a young kid was blinded after being stabbed.<br /><br />"Blakenall is certainly one of the most dangerous estates in the country. It felt dangerous, it smelt dangerous and I was happy to move on."<br /><br />The video goes on to describe Walsall as one of Britain's most dangerous towns with a crime rate of 152 per 1,000 people, which is worse than Birmingham.<br /><br />Local resident Andy Bloxham, 38, said: "I think it's a fair reflection of the area. The video makes it look worse than it is but there's no denying it's rough as anything. <br /><br />"Its a shame as there's some lovely people here, we've just got more than our fair share of mindless idiots bringing the area down. <br /><br />"People shouldn't be living in fear in their own homes. Its been a year since our little estate first made headlines and since then nothing has changed. <br /><br />"It's still the same. If anything these gangs see being named Britain's roughest estate as a badge of honour."<br /><br />Locals previously told how their lives were blighted by violence and anti-social behaviour and they are too scared to leave their homes - even in the daytime. <br /><br />It followed a string of incidents including arson attacks, fly-tipping, thefts, assaults, racist attacks and vandalism. <br /><br />Residents said the area had also become a 'no-go zone' for police because their squad cars get pelted with bricks.<br /> <br />One local resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "It had got to the point where we are scared to leave our homes even in the daytime. <br /><br />"The place has just rapidly declined into almost a state of lawlessness since the pandemic. <br /><br />"Before then we did have issues but not to the scale we are seeing now. It's like a war-zone out there at times.<br /><br />"It's just diabolical - but that's Blakenhall for you. It's become a no-go zone for police and that is what is most worrying. You just don't go out after 3pm."<br /><br />One shopkeeper, who also did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, added:<br />"I have lost staff members who just can't face being abused on a daily basis.<br /><br />"They come in and steal eggs and then use those eggs to pelt the shop. We get racially abused too, we've just had enough." <br /><br />Independent Blakenall ward councillor Pete Smith previously said "its like something from war-torn Ukraine."<br /><br />He added: "There was also this poor pigeon that had its head ripped off outside a shop before they pulled its wings off and just ripped it to pieces."<br /><br />West Midlands Police brought in a 48-hour dispersal order for Blakenall after violence flared on November 2 and youths pelted police cars with bricks.<br /><br />In July, in nearby Bloxwich, a man was knifed and Bailey Atkinson, also local to the area, was stabbed to death in Walsall in January.<br /><br />A 13-year-old boy was also left permanently blind after being stabbed in the eye outside a fish and chip shop in Blakenall last August.
