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LOCALS living in the country's "worst" seaside town have leapt to its defence - calling it the Las Vegas of Britain.
The seaside town of Skegness, in Lincolnshire, came last in a Which? poll ranking the UK's 118 beaches.
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But furious locals who love their town have leapt to its defence, blasting the "meaningless" poll.
The area has long been nicknamed Skeg-Vegas because of its amusement arcades and rowdy nightlife.
Local hotel and nightclub owner Taj Bola told Lincolnshire Live: "Which? readers are not representative of a broad cross section of the British general public and thus the rankings are meaningless.
"I suggest we launch a new survey in which everyone can participate as this would be far more accurate.
"Skegness has an aquarium, ice experience, Lamborghini bar, Fantasy Island, Sea Life Sanctuary, Gibraltar Point, endless clean beaches, yet we come bottom?
"We make millions - yes millions - of visitors happy year after year. One of the criteria on the list is peace and quiet, really?
"We are proud of the happiness and joy Skegness brings to our loyal visitors."
Anna Morrish, who lived close to Skegness, told the Daily Star that visiting the beach is "like stepping back in time".
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She added: "I’m sure there are worse places. It's easy to get to and there's plenty to do there.
"In the daytime, walking around, I feel completely safe, plus I have a lot of fond memories of it."
Billy Brookes, a local councillor from Skegness, said: "Skegness attracts millions of people each year from around the country and even the world.
"It's easy to see why it has it all, but much like world famous people, it is an easy target for criticism."
Skegness' popularity boomed in the 19th century when a railway brought holidaymakers in their droves to the seaside.
Wide, tree-lined street promenades, a garden, park, and a pier were all built in the late 1870s to cater to the rising demand.
It comes after a tongue-in-cheek "Welcome to Fabulous Skeg Vegas Not In Nevada" sign appeared outside Skegness Raceway stadium.
The £36,000 light-up sign has seen people flock to the area for selfies.
In a post on Facebook, bosses said: "With the current tough times we are all going through we decided to put a smile on everyone’s face and put something back into the community, oh and also light up the sky.
"The sign is an exact copy of the Las Vegas sign (which was built in May 1959). We hope this new landmark will become as popular as the original in Las Vegas."
The area has previously been blasted as "a terrible place with terrible people".
Critics branded the beach "smelly", "disgusting" and "filthy".
It came last in a Which? survey taken by 3,000 people, ranking just 48 per cent and tying with Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.
The seafront, scenery and noise levels were all awarded a single star out of five.
It scraped two stars for "food and drink", "tourist attractions" and "shopping". And three stars for beaches.
In one scathing review one person wrote: "The beach was horrible and we had to go 20 miles up the road to Mablethorpe to enjoy a decent beach.
"Overall terrible place with terrible people. I will never go there ever again."
Another called it "the dirtiest place in England".
They added: "Horribly smelly. The sea has a brown froth on the top. The streets are dirty. The roads are potholed."
Another said simply: "Run away".
Elsewhere in the poll, spots including Burnham-on-Sea, Mablethorpe and Southend-on-Sea also fell foul of the voters.
At the other end of the table Bamburgh in Northumberland and Dartmouth in Devon were ranked Britain's best beaches.
Editor of Which? Travel Rory Boland wants to see seasides get more investment to "level up".
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He said: "Clacton, Skegness and Southend all received one star from visitors for the lack of peace and quiet, and some visitors complain that the boisterous atmosphere can tip into feeling unsafe.
"That's a shame, because what Clacton, Skegness and Southend offer is exactly the sort of seaside break many of us want. Big beaches, big entertainment and small prices. More should be done to help them level up and become first-class holiday resorts."
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