WITH stunning 12th century architecture, picturesque open spaces and a rich history, the market town of Trowbridge seems idyllic.
Visitors are greeted by the sound of children playing in the park and a walk through a beautiful lawned area with flowers spilling over hanging baskets, and lily pads floating in a duck pond.
The town looks picturesque and boasts stunning buildings[/caption]
But there is a dark underbelly of crime and drug dealing[/caption]
Sue White says the town has become “horrible”[/caption]
But beneath the pretty exterior of this Wiltshire town, an underbelly of violent crime reigns, with machete-wielding thugs, drug-dealing and street-fighting gangs, leaving locals terrified.
In 2023, the crime rate in Trowbridge was 80 crimes per 1,000 people – 43 per cent higher than Wiltshire’s average – making it the county’s second most dangerous area.
Last year, there was a bloody machete attack, while recently released footage showed another man found with a machete hidden in his trousers and admitting to carrying drugs. Just last week police arrested another man for being in possession of an offensive weapon.
Meanwhile its once thriving town centre is turning into a ghost town, as businesses are shutting up shop for good, leaving units empty or turned into nail salons.
Shop worker Sue White, 48, was on a break outside the Savers shop in the main pedestrian thoroughfare Fore Street, where people sat in the sun outside a nearby Costa Coffee shop.
She said: “Trowbridge might look nice, but I hate the place. I used to live here, but I’d never move back, it’s a horrible town.
“What’s right with it? There’s abuse, violence, drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and other crime. We get shoplifted from at least once a week.
“It’s definitely not a safe place to come to at night and I haven’t for about seven years – I got wise. I’ve got nothing nice to say about Trowbridge at all.”
In Wiltshire, only Salisbury has higher crime figures and the ‘gangland’ town of Swindon even comes third, after Trowbridge.
On the scorching day The Sun visited, a group of street drinkers sat on a bench downing cans of beer at 11am.
A man drinking at 11am in the town centre[/caption]
Police arrest a teenager with a machete hidden in his trousers[/caption]
The teenager was later charged with possessing a machete[/caption]
Barely any other people graced pedestrianised Fore Street other than those leisurely supping their iced coffees and flat whites from Coffee #1 and Costa Coffee.
Other shops still operating include Bargain Buys and a British Heart Foundation charity shop.
Marianne Ewing, 59, lives six miles away in the town of Melksham.
She said: “It is pretty shocking to hear about the level of crime in Trowbridge, especially with knives being used.
“I’ve seen the type of people who cause trouble here and a few days ago there were girls physically fighting outside the pub until the police came and tried to calm the situation down.
“But I do think that a lot of the crime centres around drug taking and drug dealing.
“A lot of it we don’t hear about, but how can we protect ourselves if we don’t know about it? We need to feel safe, what about people who go out here in the evenings? They deserve to feel safe when they’re in town.”
A recent crackdown on drug dealing by Wiltshire Police and two other local forces Avon and Somerset and Gloucestershire saw officers seize £35,700 in cash, as well as drugs including heroin, cannabis and cocaine.
In Wiltshire, 25 people were arrested including eight drug line holders, who were charged and remanded in custody.
The shopping centre is a ghost town[/caption]
Many of the high street stores have closed down[/caption]
Nail bars dominate the open stores in Fore Street[/caption]
‘Absolute wreck’
Many of the shops in the town centre have become nail bars, while in the once thriving, 17-unit Castle Place shopping parade, only a pawn shop, hair salon, café and takeaway remain open.
Sue Tucker, 79, from Bradford on Avon said: “I’ve known Trowbridge all my life because it’s a neighbouring town, I remember when what’s now the Castle Place shopping centre was an open-air cattle market.
“It’s an absolute wreck here now though. The shops are closing, the council is doing work on the roads, which they don’t seem to be getting anywhere with, and they’ve spent money widening the pavements, which I don’t see the point of as it’s still a narrow road.
“The council needs to spend their money on regeneration, instead of installing things like pathetic benches which people can’t sit on – we thought they were bits of scrap metal to start with.”
Trowbridge might look nice, but I hate the place. I used to live here, but I’d never move back, it’s a horrible town.
Sue White
Geoffrey Parsons, 75, was busy tidying up the shrubs in the St James Church garden, which was littered with beer cans and wine bottles.
He volunteers for the church as well as the sensory garden in Trowbridge Park.
The town centre is beautiful but businesses are moving out[/caption]
Geoffrey Parsons pics up the wine bottle and cans left in the churchyard[/caption]
Marianne Ewing (left) and Sue Tucker say the town has gone downhill[/caption]
“We do have lots of homeless people in Trowbridge and in Wiltshire as a whole, who do occasionally pitch their tents in the gardens.
“Sometimes a group will gather to use the toilets here, they don’t cause too much of a bother to me but it would be nice if they took their litter away.
“The town is a little bit messy, and the council do their best. Recently they installed some metal benches at great cost, which was a waste of money – they should be spending it on Fore Street to attract visitors, because there are a lot of shops which boarded up or shut.”
Rubbish mars the beauty spot[/caption]
A once thriving pub has now seen better days[/caption]
Day drinkers in the town centre[/caption]
Street attacks
In March 2024, a 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after another man was found with a laceration to his head outside a betting shop in the town and was rushed to hospital.
July last year saw a man in his 20s arrested on suspicion of affray after officers received reports of someone walking around holding two knives in the Ushers Court area of Trowbridge.
And just this week, on July 11, a man was charged with being in possession of an offensive weapon and of being in possession of amphetamine drugs, following an incident of disorder in the town on July 4.
Three teenage girls were also arrested earlier this month after armed police stormed the town to attend an incident of disorder.
Last year police stepped up patrols in Trowbridge’s graveyard after locals repeatedly complained of drunks and drug-users using the location as a meeting place and intimidating members of the public.
Reports of used needles being left in the toilets were also commonplace.
Trowbridge Police are taking part in a countywide campaign to tackle knife crime, appealing to people to take part in a knife amnesty.
Wiltshire Police statement
Neighbourhood Inspector Ho Tsang said: “Force data shows that crime levels in Trowbridge remains relatively stable, however we appreciate the ongoing concern around anti-social behaviour in the town centre.
“As part of our approach to target issues like street drinking and youth anti-social behaviour, we have regular meetings and work closely with the town council and Wiltshire Council’s ASB team, and we are increasing our engagement in the town centre with regular hot spot patrols with a CCTV van.
“We are looking to implement a Public Safety Protection Order which would allow us greater powers to combat anti-social behaviour, and we are arresting and putting before the courts those who look to commit harm in our communities, such as an offender who was jailed for 28 months last week for multiple robbery and theft offences.
“We also work closely with local charities such as Turning Point which provide support to those looking to turn their life around.
“One of the issues we face is the under-reporting of incidents. That’s why we are frequently engaging with the community and local businesses to ensure that if they witness a crime then it’s reported to us so we can take appropriate action.
“On knife crime, while it isn’t a significant issue within Trowbridge, we also recognise the impact that these types of incidents can have on our victims and community. We are not complacent, and we take a front-footed and educational approach with regular presentations in schools and direct interventions with those thought to be at risk of being involved or carrying a knife.
“In the recent Sceptre week in May, we wrote to all parents to offer advice and highlight what support is out there if they think their child is at risk.
“We will continue working with our partner agencies and the community to make Trowbridge as safe as possible for all.”
Cllr Helen Belcher, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Regeneration and Assets at Wiltshire Council, said “More than £16m has been invested into regenerating and improving Trowbridge town centre in the past four years through the Government’s Future High Streets Fund. £2 million of this funding was given directly to support businesses to reopen on the High Street.
“The rest of the projects have focused on improving connections into the town centre, refurbishing the Town Hall; enhancing the River Biss, and developing key sites in the town centre.
“Part of this funding was invested in improving pavements, lighting, and street furniture such as these benches, something that was specifically highlighted as an area for improvement by residents and businesses during engagement carried out in 2022.
“We have worked closely with Trowbridge Town Council throughout, including on the new benches, and we understand that new designs, particularly those with a contemporary look, can sometimes spark mixed reactions.
“However, the vibrant bench seats and planters complement other recent enhancements such as the colourful bus shelters, and these have received positive feedback for transforming the appearance of the town centre.
“These improvements are helping to create a more welcoming and visually appealing county town for Wiltshire.”
