Horror in beloved UK seaside city plagued by one major problem

One of Britain's best-loved seaside cities has a "seedy underbelly", with homeless people offered "drugs and sex" for shelter, a local rough sleeper claims. Brighton, an East Sussex seaside resort, is among Britain's most popular coastal destinations, known for its famous pier, pebble beach, and array of attractions.

The resort, which is just a two-hour train ride from London, is also associated with its grand beachfront properties and remains one of the most expensive places to buy and rent outside the capital. The latest ONS UK House Price Index (released in August 2025) listed the average house price in Brighton and Hove as £426,000 in July this year (provisional). That put it way above the £270,000 average across the UK.

But despite its upmarket reputation, homelessness in Brighton is a serious issue, and one man who has lived on its streets says people like him are vulnerable to exploitation.

Matty, one of the resort's many rough sleepers, is an artist and sells his work on the street to survive. He told The Sun it's a dangerous place for people in his situation, and alleged he had been the victim of a knife attack that left him hospitalised while living rough.

Matty says he was left homeless after getting divorced for the second time, and though he has a family and a house which he bought he can't stay in it, explaining that he is neurodivergent and has "problematic situations living with people". It's led him to be on the street on and off, estimating that these periods add up to around a year.

He told the newspaper that Brighton's clean streets and impressive architecture hide a "seedy underbelly", adding: "There's a lot of GBL and GHB drugs around, known as G, as there's a lot of chemsex going on, so you get approached by older men offering money and drugs and making hideous proposals which you're clearly not interested in.

He claims they offer drugs and sex in exchange for a night in a shelter as well as money for drugs when you go.

Matty alleged a "lot of women in particular get drawn into false relationships which are based on money and drugs for accommodation, and sex for rent is still rampant, as well as 'c**ks for rocks' with the female addicts".

He's determined to stay off illegal drugs and is taking a prescribed medication to help stave off his cravings for opiates, which he is "so happy about".

Signs of high levels of homelessness are evident, with recent reports that people living in tents on the waterfront have been on the rise. There had previously been an encampment of tents in the resort's iconic Madeira Terrace, which had been there since the start of the summer but removed in August by two firms hired by the council.

A report due to be put before Brighton and Hove City Council's People Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the coming week reveals over 3,500 people are homeless in Brighton and Hove, including those living in temporary housing.

Some 1,400 of them are children, The Argus reports. Meanwhile, overall homelessness applications have been increasing since 2021.

In September, the local news outlet reported that 7,500 households were on the city's waiting list for social housing and over 1,900 households were living in temporary and emergency accommodation.

Paul Nann, a councillor and cabinet advisor for Homelessness at the local authority told The Sun: "We do all we can to not only tackle the root causes of homelessness, but also support those people experiencing it into safe and secure accommodation.

"We are in the midst of a housing crisis and there are significant pressures on our local housing supply, but we are growing our housing stock and also commission more than 700 supporting housing beds across the city.

"We work with some fantastic local charities who provide support to our street homeless community and we will continue to tackle this issue as part of our ongoing commitment to providing quality homes for all."