A SEASIDE village has been named as the most deprived neighbourhood in the country for the third consecutive time.

Jaywick, once a bustling coastal getaway for holidaymakers, has topped the list of the UK’s most rundown towns and villages.

The damming report, collated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, measures the level of deprivation in 32,844 small areas.

The data takes into consideration income, employment and crime rates, living environments, education, health and housing.

Despite the volume of competition and the launch of a regeneration project,Jaywick has come out as the most deprived area for the third time in ten years - the same as it did in 2010 and 2015.

Dan Casey, veteran councillor for Jaywick Sands, said: “I am not happy about it and there is nothing positive about it.

“I love the people in Jaywick but we needs jobs and investment but we aren’t going to get it because no-one will want to invest if they won’t get a return.

“If I was looking for a job and had a family to provide for in Jaywick and there were no jobs, it would destroy me.

“Let’s hope something changes within the next five years but I just don’t see anything changing.”

But Tendring Council Cabinet member for Jaywick Sands, Paul Honeywood, believes the stigma attached to the village could actually be a positive as it could lead to even further investment.

Mr Honeywood said: “While not ideal, the deprivation label opens up funding and investment opportunities and a focus from other agencies that otherwise would be tougher to get so it is not all bad.

“The issues in Jaywick Sands are complex and if they were easy to fix they would have been solved years ago.

“We are in this for the long term.”

Jaywick won national notoriety when it became the subject of a documentary Benefits by the Sea which followed the lives of some of the village’s residents.

It was also visited by a United Nations representative as part of an investigation into poverty in Britain.