London seems to be a right cesspit.

Put the army on the streets if the police cannot cope with these crimes, something must be done now to take control back

I was born in east London and now live in one of the outer boroughs have also lived in Essex.
I also find it offensive that posters are saying it’s dirty a cesspit
(although I acknowledge your apology FGT2) JdotJ your post is just downright offensive!
London is no different to any other big cities in the country good parts and bad same with a lot of rural areas.
I use the buses and tube trains a lot buses I always find very clean the tube trains I think would benefit if Khan adopted the same policy as Hong Kong and banned food and drink from being consumed , the underground there is spotless and much more pleasant to travel. I wouldn’t say that the tube trains are any more dirty than other trains I have travelled on .
The borough I live in now although part of greater London has some lovey areas of green parks etc
What I suppose I am saying is that posters degenerating London should look around their own areas I’m sure there are lots that could do with improvements.

For those praising Boris Johnson's mayoral performance, are they aware that during his tenure he wasted millions of pounds on what many describe as "vanity projects" - some of which were abandoned, having incurred vast amounts of planning costs, or which have proved to be of no economic benefit or requiring expensive modifications?

Pedestrian garden bridge - a bridge absolutely surplus to requirements and which, had it been built, would have required very expensive ongoing maintenance - cost £52,000,000 in the planning.

Water cannons for crowd control, which cannot be deployed as they have been deemed as unsuitable - £323,000

Proposed Thames Estuary Airport £2,500,000 planning costs., project rejected.

Routemaster, hop on/hop off buses and conductors - deemed too dangerous so open platforms abandoned and door introduced. 300 conductors made redundant. Generally considered not fit for purpose on several other grounds. - £321 million.

and the list goes on - bike hire scheme, Emirates cable car over Thames, Orbital "Helter Skelter" in Stratford, etc, etc, etc.

I’m a Londoner born and bred like a lot on here, but have to say very few boroughs are what they used to be,in my view.
Was glad to get out when we did tbh.

I was born in London and lived over half my life there. We now live in South East. I go back to visit family but it is constantly changing and becoming unrecognisable. So much building and destruction of the old buildings. There are parts that I would never visit and wouldn’t feel safe. It has lost its essence. Have many memories of my family and life there.

I love London and we go up regularly to shows at the National, museums and galleries. Yes, there are problems but compared to when we lived in the Isle of Dogs in the mid 80s, it is so much cleaner. I used to despair of the litter blowing around when I worked in the City.
We live near to Bournemouth and it is a dump. I never go in unless I absolutely have to.

Most cities now are dirty and filthy ... Pot holes etc

tanith

Croydon is in London 🤔

It is technically London but is more than an hour's drive from the centre. I looked online and it was suggested that it would cost more than £120 to travel there by taxi.

Manchester is just as bad. I always keep a small slim bag just with essentials in under my coat. No cash, just a couple of notes if needed, bank card, bus pass and phone.
I don't think anywhere is particularly safe these days, be wary all the time.

Wyllow3

FriedGreenTomatoes2

^
So why has the O/P singled out London? its clear, looking at the stats, its round the whole country^

I singled it out Wyllow3 because of the shocking news I’d just heard about an eight year old girl being shot this morning.

When news such as this fails to generate shock and outrage we have lost our soul.

But why does that make London singled out "a right cesspit?" We had 6 shot and injured in my city in August and it doesn't make it a "right cesspit", it was one sick individual. Of course every incident is shocking and one too many.

I've lived in London for most of my adult life and simply don't worry about going out and about, I use public transport all the time.
However I wouldn't walk about in some of the rougher areas at night, but I imagine that applies to most cities.
Having people shot in Kensington in unusual - though it it is a very large borough. The shooting was in Ladbroke Grove where you can go from a smart area to a rough area within a street or so. We no longer go to the Notting Hill Carnival as we used to, there are vast crowds of people, pick-pockets and every year somebody is injured or killed.
I certainly wouldn't call London a "cess pit" though.

Cess pit is definitely the wrong terminology. I was born and grew up in London and lived there most of my life. We moved out when we retired not because we no longer liked London but because we wanted to live more rurally rather than urban. We still visit as we have friends there. I agree it is no different to any other City for example Manchester which was mentioned. A London friend lives there now and finds it more crime ridden than London. It is all about our experiences and in some cases our perception.

Thank you Eloethan for putting the record straight about Johnson's tenure as mayor. I moved to London in 2007 aged 63 and am now 80 and still here and I love London! I meet such kindness on the buses and tubes and never stand for more than three seconds; young people are so generous and kind. I live in Lambeth which has a policy of greening the borough so there are flower planters and new trees everywhere. I see far more wild life close to than I did living in Devon. Sometimes I walk along the Thames and see Parliament in the evening light and I can't believe how beautiful it is. There is always so much to do and see. Of course there is crime and I have been incredibly lucky in not being affected by it (so far) but I love living in a mixed neighbourhood and getting to know people from every country in the world and every class.

I have lived in an outer borough of East London on and off for most of my life . I love living here and visit central London regularly. It is a vibrant area with lots of green space . But still there are gang “issues” .
Yes parts of London have suffered like Oxford Street and have become rundown, but the good transport system , places to see and enjoy far outweigh this. Sadly there is violence everywhere and many rural towns have huge drug and knife problems.
I spent two weeks in Cornwall in the autumn and a large town ( I won’t name) I visited had many rough sleepers, plus drug paraphernalia obvious in doorways of closed down shops. The streets were very dirty and I felt quite vulnerable walking around on my own. I think everywhere has become more dangerous and London no more so than anywhere else.

Loved your post mouse44. Nothing better than walking along the south bank. I was born in S London but moved in early childhood to the south coast and walking along the Thames
is almost as good as walking by the sea.
Now I live in N Surrey and regularly walked with a good friend from Waterloo to Tower Bridge until she moved from here. Various life events have stopped me from repeating my Londin walks for the moment. But as soon as I can I will be there in the train, bus and tube. Keeping aware if what is happening around me. Looking as if I know where I am going, cross body bag under my coat. Ticket and some small change in my pocket. My phone away.....but it's only a "dumb" one. I couldnt give it away

My niece lived in Manchester and her next door neighbour had bullets through the front door. I won't call Manchester a cesspit as that is so rude to people living there. But that scared her.

How many other places in the UK have the same size population eg 8 million. Proportionately is crime higher than other cities? Sure someone will know. Yes, the modes of crime has changed but so has society and the laws governing us from a very early age.

A very misleading OP.

Stop and think of the violence you have seen reported throughout the country over the past few years, against children.

London is certainly not at the top.

London generally is a safe and enjoyable city, those reporting otherwise are sounding a tad neurotic imo.

J52 to describe London as a "shit hole" I think you must live in a bubble and haven't visited other major cities in the developed world. Many aspects of London are world class, it's sky line for one. I always loved the views walking over Waterloo Bridge towards St' Paul's Cathedral. London has amazing, museums, art galleries, theatres, parks, sorry NY, Central Park is not a patch on Hyde, St James's (I walked through that one on the way to work often, it's gorgeous) and have lived near both Richmond and Bushy both fantastic, that's not to mention some of the smaller lesser known parks, and of course Hampstead Heath, London is awash with green areas. It has a magnificent history, even before the Romans named it Londinium, second only in importance to Colchester there was a thriving culture which artefacts in The British Museum bear testament to. Moving on to the Elizabethan era, London has the world renowned Shakespeare's Globe. . Shopping well that goes without saying and of course, wonderful restaurants with cuisines from just all four corners of the world. I moved away from the outer reaches a couple of years ago, for a quieter pace of life. London is heaving it has to be said, even a few miles out, it is typical of any densely over populated, multi cultural city, and it has its seamier side, regrettably gang turf warfare makes certain areas dangerous (some of that is imported) this is an element with any major city be they in Europe US and Australia from what I hear Zero tolerance approach to law and order exists in places such as Singapore for example, the downside being so does capital punishment!.

I apologise not J52, that was to jdoj

TerriBull

I apologise not J52, that was to jdoj

Apology accepted, I’ve just picked myself up from the floor!
My beloved home city!

Done with London- everyone out for themselves. Had my walking sticks kicked from under me a few timespushing & shoving to get on public transport, plus buses are mingling 😩

TerriBull

J52 to describe London as a "shit hole" I think you must live in a bubble and haven't visited other major cities in the developed world. Many aspects of London are world class, it's sky line for one. I always loved the views walking over Waterloo Bridge towards St' Paul's Cathedral. London has amazing, museums, art galleries, theatres, parks, sorry NY, Central Park is not a patch on Hyde, St James's (I walked through that one on the way to work often, it's gorgeous) and have lived near both Richmond and Bushy both fantastic, that's not to mention some of the smaller lesser known parks, and of course Hampstead Heath, London is awash with green areas. It has a magnificent history, even before the Romans named it Londinium, second only in importance to Colchester there was a thriving culture which artefacts in The British Museum bear testament to. Moving on to the Elizabethan era, London has the world renowned Shakespeare's Globe. . Shopping well that goes without saying and of course, wonderful restaurants with cuisines from just all four corners of the world. I moved away from the outer reaches a couple of years ago, for a quieter pace of life. London is heaving it has to be said, even a few miles out, it is typical of any densely over populated, multi cultural city, and it has its seamier side, regrettably gang turf warfare makes certain areas dangerous (some of that is imported) this is an element with any major city be they in Europe US and Australia from what I hear Zero tolerance approach to law and order exists in places such as Singapore for example, the downside being so does capital punishment!.

Just remove the people & you have a beautiful city!

HelterSkelter1

Loved your post mouse44. Nothing better than walking along the south bank. I was born in S London but moved in early childhood to the south coast and walking along the Thames
is almost as good as walking by the sea.
Now I live in N Surrey and regularly walked with a good friend from Waterloo to Tower Bridge until she moved from here. Various life events have stopped me from repeating my Londin walks for the moment. But as soon as I can I will be there in the train, bus and tube. Keeping aware if what is happening around me. Looking as if I know where I am going, cross body bag under my coat. Ticket and some small change in my pocket. My phone away.....but it's only a "dumb" one. I couldnt give it away

My niece lived in Manchester and her next door neighbour had bullets through the front door. I won't call Manchester a cesspit as that is so rude to people living there. But that scared her.

Another dirty, smelly city

There are over 450 gangs in London. I can’t say how many in other cities .

List of 11 Most Dangerous Cities in the UK
Bradford
Coventry
Birmingham
Manchester
London
Nottingham
Liverpool
Belfast
Glasgow
Leeds

The above is in order of crime rate, and was posted in May this year, on a site called Best Diplomat.