The pretty little UK seaside town with 35 charity shops - 'at least they're not abandoned'

A seaside town famous for its stunning pier and spectacular Victorian frontage also has what is believed to be one of the highest concentrations of charity shops in Britain. Eastbourne has previously been dubbed the "town with the most charity shops in the UK" with around 35 outlets in the East Sussex settlement, according to research by ukphonebook.com.

This year, Nottingham was said to be the city with the most venues for bargain hunters, with 127 charity shops. But with a population more than three times the size of Eastbourne, the number of donation-generating shops per person in each location works out around the same amount-roughly one charity shop for between 2,600 and 2,800 people.

Eastbourne, once dubbed "God's waiting room", has proven to be a popular place for people to retire with miles of beaches and fresh sea air providing a welcome relief from the rat race of working life. The town, which is just an hour-and-a-half from central London by train, also has a reputation as a relatively wealthy bolthole. According to Rightmove, the majority of properties sold last year were flats, selling for an average of £214,000.

Despite the apparently well-heeled population, the number of charity shops can be seen as a marker of decline by some, but in some ways, if the sector is thriving, it could be a sign of changing buying trends.

Conservative Councillor Colin Belsey, from Eastbourne Borough Council, told Express.co.uk that Eastbourne has "numerous charity shops", that all seem to "make returns for their respective charities or presumably they would close".

He said: "We also have empty shops and very large empty store buildings."

Cllr Belsey added that he felt local authorities had their "hands tied" by the Government, adding: "Perhaps if powers were put in place to really charge the owners of these empty properties a very high tax, it might make them sit up and get started on redeveloping the sites.

"There are sites in Eastbourne with planning permission to build on, but, nothing happens."

Fellow Tory Cllr Robert Smart admitted "Eastbourne has certainly gone down in recent years", but he said he would not increase retail taxes.

Eastbourne local Bazz Wright said he thought the big charity shops were 'cons', adding that he suspected they were "not about raising funds for said cause".

Another resident, Melissa Minty said it was better there were charity shops "than bookies", but she admitted: "There's definitely too many of them."

Sandie Munden said she wasn't sure if Eastbourne had the most charity shops, but if it did, it was "better than vape shops" or outlets being "boarded up."

Robin Osterley, Chief Executive of the Charity Retail Association (CRA) said charity shops offered a good alternative to fast-fashion and offered a sustainable choice which had become more accepted in recent years.

He said: "Eastbourne is an interesting case in point because a lot of people would think of it as a relatively wealthy town, and if the charity sector is thriving and doing well, I think that's really interesting because it shows it isn't just about buying for economic reasons... people are actually going into charity shops for reasons of sustainability, but also because they are able to get a bargain obviously and find something quite different from what else is in the high street.

"The fact Eastbourne is doing well (for charity shops) with all of those retired people and wealth in the town, is a really interesting indicator of how well the sector as a whole has diversified in the last few years."

Charity shops have clearly divided opinion among locals in this quiet seaside town, but if you are partial to a good bargain, Eastbourne might well be worth a visit.