Britain’s ‘coolest neighbourhood’ now a graffiti-covered ‘slum’ say locals

Graffiti in Digbeth, Birmingham. September 28, 2026. // A trendy city suburb once hailed as being "Britain's coolest neighbourhood" is now a graffiti-ridden "slum" which is a magnet for criminals and fly-tippers, locals claim. The Digbeth area of Birmingham was previously named one of the best places to live by The Sunday Times and has undergone multi-million pound investments in a bid to make it "better than Salford's Media City". Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight opened a studios there in October 2025 where parts of the hit series and film starring Cillian Murphy were filmed. Next year, the BBC will also be moving into a new flagship HQ called The Tea Factory which was recently completed as part of a ??69.3 million development. But fed-up workers and residents say behind the glamour and aspirations of being a media hub, the reality is that the place has become an urban eyesore littered with vandalism and rubbish. Once a haven for creative and arty types, some Brummies have accused developers of "tearing the heart out of Digbeth" and threatening its grassroots culture. Among the graffiti currently blighting the area includes the city's iconic John F. Kennedy mosaic which was recently defaced after proudly standing in the city since 1968. Photo released 04/10/2026

A city district once dubbed ‘Britain’s coolest neighbourhood’ has since become a ‘slum’ full of graffiti and crime, locals claim.

Digbeth was often described as one of Birmingham’s trendiest areas and has recently seen development aimed positioning the town as a rival to Media City in Salford.

Scenes from Peaky Blinders were filmed there, and the show’s creator Steven Knight even opened a studios in October last year, and will even welcome the BBC into a new flagship HQ next year.

But the once arty enclave has reportedly become overridden with vandalism, with residents blaming some of the gentrification for ‘tearing the heart out of’ of the district.

As a symbol of how far the graffiti epidemic has reached, an iconic mosaic of US president John F Kennedy unveiled in 1968 now stands defaced.

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Flytipping has also become a common sight, locals complain, and many of the independent stores that once defined the area are now moving out as business owners struggle to pay rent.

Natalie Freeman, 39, who works in the Custard Factory – a creative hub housing offices for small businesses – says the town’s regeneration has been a ‘double edge sword’.

‘The smaller independents are having to move out due to rising costs and parts of the area have become increasingly run-down and dangerous at night,’ she said.

‘The graffiti issue is a massive problem – it was always just street art but vandals just tag away with no repercussions now and almost every street is covered in it. There’s never anybody to stop them either.

JFK mural vandalised by graffiti in Digbeth, Birmingham. September 28, 2026. // A trendy city suburb once hailed as being "Britain's coolest neighbourhood" is now a graffiti-ridden "slum" which is a magnet for criminals and fly-tippers, locals claim. The Digbeth area of Birmingham was previously named one of the best places to live by The Sunday Times and has undergone multi-million pound investments in a bid to make it "better than Salford's Media City". Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight opened a studios there in October 2025 where parts of the hit series and film starring Cillian Murphy were filmed. Next year, the BBC will also be moving into a new flagship HQ called The Tea Factory which was recently completed as part of a ??69.3 million development. But fed-up workers and residents say behind the glamour and aspirations of being a media hub, the reality is that the place has become an urban eyesore littered with vandalism and rubbish. Once a haven for creative and arty types, some Brummies have accused developers of "tearing the heart out of Digbeth" and threatening its grassroots culture. Among the graffiti currently blighting the area includes the city's iconic John F. Kennedy mosaic which was recently defaced after proudly standing in the city since 1968. Photo released 04/10/2026

‘People just dump rubbish all the time as well. It’s pretty grim to be honest in parts and I don’t feel that safe at night sometimes.’

She added: ‘People say it’s still a good nightlife but that can come with crime as well – there’s been plenty of stabbings in Digbeth and a man was murdered at The Crane club a few years back.

‘They’ve pumped lots of money into certain projects in a tiny radius instead of focusing on Digbeth as a whole.’

Jamie, another resident, agreed, saying: ‘The graffiti has got out of hand – people are seeing the street art as meaning anyone can paint anything on any wall and it is starting to look a right mess.

‘Targeted the JFK in particular is appalling – a mural should be pretty sacred and kept up to date. It’s not right people doing things like that.

‘Some places have been kept clean but in others it is starting to look really bad.

Several serious crimes have also blighted the once trendy suburb’s image in recent years.

Graffiti in Digbeth, Birmingham. September 28, 2026. // A trendy city suburb once hailed as being "Britain's coolest neighbourhood" is now a graffiti-ridden "slum" which is a magnet for criminals and fly-tippers, locals claim. The Digbeth area of Birmingham was previously named one of the best places to live by The Sunday Times and has undergone multi-million pound investments in a bid to make it "better than Salford's Media City". Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight opened a studios there in October 2025 where parts of the hit series and film starring Cillian Murphy were filmed. Next year, the BBC will also be moving into a new flagship HQ called The Tea Factory which was recently completed as part of a ??69.3 million development. But fed-up workers and residents say behind the glamour and aspirations of being a media hub, the reality is that the place has become an urban eyesore littered with vandalism and rubbish. Once a haven for creative and arty types, some Brummies have accused developers of "tearing the heart out of Digbeth" and threatening its grassroots culture. Among the graffiti currently blighting the area includes the city's iconic John F. Kennedy mosaic which was recently defaced after proudly standing in the city since 1968. Photo released 04/10/2026

Semi-professional footballer Cody Fisher, 23 was stabbed to death while on the dance floor of the Crane nightclub on Boxing Day in 2022. Remy Gordon and Kami Carpenter were both convicted of his murder.

The same year, Chinese national Jinming Zhang, 41, was also murdered in a flat. His killer remains on the run.

In 2021, 20-year-old Ashley Day was stabbed to death with a Rambo knife at a flat party promoted on social media.

The area’s crime rate is particularly notable given that the local MP is the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood.

For several worried residents, protecting their family has become a going concern, with many worried about letting their children go out at night.

An office worker, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘I won’t let my daughters come in to town anymore and Digbeth has started attracting the wrong crowd.

‘It used to be one of the best night’s out in the city but it’s not safe. It looks a right dump in parts now.

‘When you redevelop an area you’ve got to work with and support who is currently there but they haven’t so it sort of kills the vibe which made Digbeth special in the first place.’

It all comes amid a 20-year plan to rejuvenate the town, with 11 development sites earmarked for 35 plots.

Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham. September 28, 2026. // A trendy city suburb once hailed as being "Britain's coolest neighbourhood" is now a graffiti-ridden "slum" which is a magnet for criminals and fly-tippers, locals claim. The Digbeth area of Birmingham was previously named one of the best places to live by The Sunday Times and has undergone multi-million pound investments in a bid to make it "better than Salford's Media City". Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight opened a studios there in October 2025 where parts of the hit series and film starring Cillian Murphy were filmed. Next year, the BBC will also be moving into a new flagship HQ called The Tea Factory which was recently completed as part of a ??69.3 million development. But fed-up workers and residents say behind the glamour and aspirations of being a media hub, the reality is that the place has become an urban eyesore littered with vandalism and rubbish. Once a haven for creative and arty types, some Brummies have accused developers of "tearing the heart out of Digbeth" and threatening its grassroots culture. Among the graffiti currently blighting the area includes the city's iconic John F. Kennedy mosaic which was recently defaced after proudly standing in the city since 1968. Photo released 04/10/2026

It was launched at the UK Real Estate, Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in May 2025.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker had promised: ‘Digbeth will be bigger, better and bolder than Salford’s Media City’ while unveiling previous regeneration plans.

But police statistics show Digbeth now has one of the higher crime rates in the city, with nearly 200 crimes reported per 1,000 residents, significantly above the national average.

has contacted Birmingham City Council for comment.

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