How Britain's coastal towns are among most deprived in country Government figures show rundown seaside towns continue to deteriorate Twenty five of the larger resorts have higher than average deprivation Blackpool has suffered the most, with Clacton and Hastings not far behind Britons may still flock to beaches on hot days, but many English seaside destinations are suffering above-average deprivation, according to an official study. Blackpool, which welcomes more visitors a year than any other UK coastal town, had the highest level of deprivation of the larger English seaside destinations in 2010, the analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. The next most-deprived larger-destination towns were Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and Hastings in East Sussex. Attraction: While Blackpool remains England's most popular tourist destination, it is a shadow of its former self Better days: The once glorious Regency Hotel in Ramsgate is badly in need of a facelift A fish and chip shop in Blackpool which has the highest level of deprivation than any other coastal town Seen better days: Pier Avenue, in Clacton on Sea, Essex, could do with a sprucing up A further 25 of the 31 larger English seaside resorts have higher levels of deprivation than the national average. While 20 per cent of England overall was considered deprived in 2010, the figure for the 31 larger English seaside destinations was 26.9 per cent - a rise of nearly one per cent on the figure of 26 per cent in 2007. Blackpool, Lancashire Clacton, Essex Hastings, East Sussex Ramsgate, Kent Margate, Kent Hartlepool, County Durham Great Yarmouth, Norfolk South Shields, County Durham Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria Sunderland, Norhumberland The biggest areas of deprivation for the seaside towns in 2010 were in the areas of health and disability, followed by employment. In the seaside towns, 34.9 per cent were in the most deprived group for health and disability, while 32.2 per cent were in the most deprived group for employment. The area in which the coastal resorts scored the best was in housing and services, where 10.6 per cent were in the most deprived group. Surprisingly, the figures for crime were better than the average for England, with 16.6 per cent in the most deprived group. Six seaside towns bucked the trend, including Blackpool's north west England neighbour Lytham St Annes. The other five were Christchurch and Poole in Dorset, which have some of the most expensive properties in the UK, Worthing in West Sussex, Southport in Merseyside and Bognor Regis in West Sussex. Run down: Homes in Jaywick near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex Signs at the entrance to a typical Bed and Breakfast guest house hotel in Blackpool Deserted: Pier Avenue in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex was once a thriving hub for tourists escaping to the coast The ONS said: 'Our analysis has considered levels of deprivation in larger English seaside destinations, which may have once thrived on seaside resort tourism. There is a perception that these economies have declined and are enduring high levels of deprivation as a result of people going on holiday abroad rather than in England. The perceived extent of their decline is so great that during the 2010 election campaign, all three major political parties discussed the problems facing British seaside settlements. The results of the analysis revealed that there were higher levels of deprivation in 2010 than the deprivation measure for England on average. Shabby: Pelham Arcade in Hastings which came in third of most deprived coastal towns in the UK A pie shop in Clacton-on-Sea which is considered the second most deprived town in the UK Old fashioned: An amusement arcade in Clacton-on-Sea which was the second most deprived coastal town Derelict: The once popular beach huts of St Leonards in Hastings are now boarded up and abandoned