The UK's longest high street that stretches 3km but in one of the 'worst' seaside towns

A seaside town recognised as one of the UK's worst is also home to the longest high street. According to Which?'s 2025 survey of the nation's best and worst seaside towns, Southend-on-Sea, located in Essex, is one of the worst coastal resorts in the country, scoring 43% and bagging a spot in the bottom 10.

However, while people might not be rushing to the Essex town for a beach holiday, one thing that might draw visitors is its lengthy three-kilometre high street, which, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), is the longest in the UK.

Southend's London Road houses a range of shops, cafes, and restaurants, and the renowned Royals Shopping Centre, which features over 30 stores, including Boots, TK Maxx, and The Fragrance Shop.

Every Thursday and Saturday, visitors can enjoy a roam around the outdoor market that takes place on the high street, where shoppers can purchase fresh fruits, bread, fish, but also clothing, jewellery, and household items.

Unfortunately, like the many high streets suffering across the country, Southend's one doesn't seem to be far from the rest.

Speaking about Royals Shopping Centre, one person wrote on TripAdvisor: What was once a bustling and busy shopping centre is now awful lots of empty shops, it's like a ghost town, the Poundland is the only reason I went there."

A second said: "[I] visited with teenagers for a shopping day. Hadn't been back to my home town for 10 years so was eagerly anticipating a good day in The Royals and high street.

"What a dump. The shopping centre was had barely and people or shops, the security staff were beyond ignorant and the town itself was full of boarded up shops, charity shops and mobile phone repair shops."

As well as the UK's longest high street, Southend is also home to the world's longest pleasure pier, which stretches 2.2 kilometres into the Thames Estuary. Southend's pier scored two stars out of five in Which?'s survey.

Despite the low survey score, the record-breaking pier has a decent 3.9-star score on TripAdvisor, with visitors describing the attraction as a "must-visit" and a "lovely" experience.