TV show Benefits by The Sea triggers house price plummet as family home drops to just £13k
07-21-2015
FURIOUS residents of a small village in Essex have claimed the value of their homes has PLUMMETED - due to their estate's starring role on new TV show 'Benefits By the Sea'.
Residents of Jaywick, Essex, are angry - and quite rightfully - as a new Channel 5 documentary is said to be having a damaging effect on property prices.
The small village, which is just two miles west of Clacton-on-Sea, is the location for 'Benefits by The Sea'.
But residents have asked the Royal Mail to remove any reference to the estate from their address because it's dragging down their property prices.
The Brooklands area of Jaywick is listed as the most deprived area in England and had already become the subject of ridicule after Benefits Britain, another Channel 5 show, aired earlier this year.
It's thought around 50 per cent of residents in Brooklands are on benefits and the most recent programme is following a group of people on the estate in a bid to show the reality of life on the breadline.
But residents of nearby Tudor Estate, mostly made up of retired bungalows, say the TV shows reflect badly on the whole seaside resort - and affecting the value of their homes.
Local estate agents show a two bedroom detached bungalow for sale at an astonishingly low £13.5k.
An identical property on this street was previously listed for sale on 6th Aug 2013 for £59,995, according to Zoopla. In stark comparison, a lavish London mansion set to become Britain's most EXPENSIVE home after £280million bid.
Bill Humphries is leading the campaign and wrote to the Royal Mail initially to have Jaywick taken off his own address.
In response, the Royal Mail wrote to all 1,006 homes in the Tudor Estate asking for views on the move.
Ronit Wolfson, a company spokesman, said: "Following a request from a resident, Royal Mail is consulting on removing Jaywick as the locality for a number of streets in the Tudor Estate area of Clacton.
"Residents have three weeks to oppose the plans and if fewer than 20 per cent lodge complaints, the change will go ahead."
But James Ennifer, of Sheens Estate Agents, said the move would not necessarily lead to an increase in house prices.
He said: "The change will make some people feel happy, but Brooklands and Tudor are very different places anyway."
Benefits by The Sea shows follows characters such as 60-year-old Disco Dave, who claims he has not been sober since he was 15.