Im from hartlepool - iv just got back on friday after 3-4months down south, and I assure boro smells as bad as it ever did(pretty ****ing terrible), theres still scum galore kickin about, it smells, mostly down to the incinerator I guess.
The riverside area is a pit.
Its just a rotten place, there is worse but really it is a complete dump.
For the record hartlepool is a **** tip too, and I think they both do deserve to be in the worst 20 places to live.
It goes on unemployment, salaries, house prices and education too, oh and crime.