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'Apocalyptic' UK town 'like North Korea' with fake doors and windows painted on houses
Horden in County Durham was a thriving mining town until its colliery was shut down in 1987. Now the seaside village's streets have been abandoned and many of its houses left derelict
An "apocalyptic" UK town "like North Korea" has been left largely derelict with streets full of boarded-up houses.
Horden in County Durham, which sits on England's northeast coast, was once a thriving mining town with a flourishing community.
But after the colliery was shut down in 1987, the town fell into disarray as workers and their families were forced to leave in search of work.
"Four thousand people were working at the coal mine, living here, spending their money, and bringing up families," he said in a clip titled '£20,000 Houses In A Boarded Up Seaside Town!'.
Now, however, it's a different story.
"It's so apocalyptic-looking," he added. "[It's] almost eerie.
"I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to live in one of these, no matter how nice it was renovated, being surrounded by all of those derelict properties would be really depressing and downright creepy at night."
Burnip also noted the council had made a "genius" attempt to make the town more inviting by painting fake doors and windows onto some of the plywood covering the houses, and said it was sometimes hard to tell which doors were real and which were fake.
"Whoever made them fake doors are genius. I absolutely love them. They look so good, and they do make the houses look so much better," he said.
"It's a good way to make you think it's not boarded up, but it is."
During his visit, Burnip got chatting with a few friendly locals, including one who had lived in Horden for decades and worked in the mine for nearly 40 years before it was shut down.
He said: "It’s just gone down the banks since the collieries finished.
"It was better then, because everyone took pride in what they had. Now they don’t bother."
Recalling what the town was like before the mine shut down, he said: "You had all the working men’s clubs, and all the public houses… practically none left now."
Horden's abandoned houses also mean property there is cheap.
A house on one of the town's "numbered" streets will set you back as little as £20,000, with the more recently renovated properties fetching a price tag of around £50,000 to £80,000.
However, one estate agent featured in the video warned the properties would need to be renovated as local kids had broken into and vandalised many of them.
The town's empty streets and abandoned shops have drawn comparisons with the North Korean town of Kijong-dong, an alleged farming town that neighbouring South Korea claims is an uninhabited village built in a 1950s propaganda effort.
Modern telescopes have allowed for a glimpse into the strange settlement and have revealed many of the buildings are made up of just a concrete exterior, with no real doors, windows, or rooms inside.
Research into the bizarre town found lights in the makeshift "houses" were put on automatic timers and street cleaners were employed to protect the illusion of Kijong-dong's thriving community.
Daily Star Sunday
Horden in County Durham was a thriving mining town until its colliery was shut down in 1987. Now the seaside village's streets have been abandoned and many of its houses left derelict
An "apocalyptic" UK town "like North Korea" has been left largely derelict with streets full of boarded-up houses.
Horden in County Durham, which sits on England's northeast coast, was once a thriving mining town with a flourishing community.
But after the colliery was shut down in 1987, the town fell into disarray as workers and their families were forced to leave in search of work.
"Four thousand people were working at the coal mine, living here, spending their money, and bringing up families," he said in a clip titled '£20,000 Houses In A Boarded Up Seaside Town!'.
Now, however, it's a different story.
"It's so apocalyptic-looking," he added. "[It's] almost eerie.
"I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to live in one of these, no matter how nice it was renovated, being surrounded by all of those derelict properties would be really depressing and downright creepy at night."
Burnip also noted the council had made a "genius" attempt to make the town more inviting by painting fake doors and windows onto some of the plywood covering the houses, and said it was sometimes hard to tell which doors were real and which were fake.
"Whoever made them fake doors are genius. I absolutely love them. They look so good, and they do make the houses look so much better," he said.
"It's a good way to make you think it's not boarded up, but it is."
During his visit, Burnip got chatting with a few friendly locals, including one who had lived in Horden for decades and worked in the mine for nearly 40 years before it was shut down.
He said: "It’s just gone down the banks since the collieries finished.
"It was better then, because everyone took pride in what they had. Now they don’t bother."
Recalling what the town was like before the mine shut down, he said: "You had all the working men’s clubs, and all the public houses… practically none left now."
Horden's abandoned houses also mean property there is cheap.
A house on one of the town's "numbered" streets will set you back as little as £20,000, with the more recently renovated properties fetching a price tag of around £50,000 to £80,000.
However, one estate agent featured in the video warned the properties would need to be renovated as local kids had broken into and vandalised many of them.
The town's empty streets and abandoned shops have drawn comparisons with the North Korean town of Kijong-dong, an alleged farming town that neighbouring South Korea claims is an uninhabited village built in a 1950s propaganda effort.
Modern telescopes have allowed for a glimpse into the strange settlement and have revealed many of the buildings are made up of just a concrete exterior, with no real doors, windows, or rooms inside.
Research into the bizarre town found lights in the makeshift "houses" were put on automatic timers and street cleaners were employed to protect the illusion of Kijong-dong's thriving community.
Daily Star Sunday