SUNNY Morecambe has been labelled the "most miserable place in the land" by a prestigious Sunday newspaper.

An article in the Observer said the resort was a "filthy town, full of rude people and vandals" and that more people were taking anti-depressants in Morecambe than anywhere else in the country.

But council and tourism chiefs have slammed the Observer feature as inaccurate and claim that the new-look resort had its busiest May bank holiday for years.

Under the banner headline "Seaside Hell," the story centred on a report by a medical research group which claimed that more anti-depressant drugs were doled out per person in Morecambe than in any other area of England. It went on to paint a depressing picture of a resort in terminal decline with high rates of unemployment, few holidaymakers and decaying buildings.

The bad publicity comes just days after Morecambe was savaged by a leading travel guide and Council Leader Stanley Henig said that all the knocks Morecambe was receiving in the national media was enough to make you depressed.

"It was a badly written story which is an insult to everyone who lives and works in Morecambe," said Cllr Henig.

"They spoke to only three people in the resort and the article strangely mentions that the Grand Hotel is being pulled down. Basically, it's factually inaccurate and doesn't really mean anything. If more people in Morecambe need anti-depressant drugs than anywhere else in the country then I'm obviously concerned but it seems to me that it's a statistic plucked out of nowhere."

Tourism officer Jim Trotman said: "Some of it may have been true years ago but there's been a complete transformation of the resort over the last eight years. Over the weekend, enquiries to Morecambe's Tourist Information Centre was up 36 per cent on last year and the start of the holiday season has been very encouraging."

President of Morecambe Hoteliers, Graham Last, said: "We have massive peaks at the bank holidays but nothing much in between. It depresses me that the council has cut back on the advertising and just reacts to negative publicity like this."

Mrs Audrey Richardson who runs a hotel in the resort with her husband, Colin, said: "I've still got faith in Morecambe, it's improved but they've got to do something about all the DSS accommodation. It's got worse over the years. I can understand why a lot of elderly people might be on anti-depressants - they're frightened to go out."

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