Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside. Don’t we? Places like Blackpool, Jaywick and Skegness are among the poorest areas of the UK. Yet other resorts are so desirable that property-owners can afford to keep them empty for most of the year and rake in the profit from renting them out in summer. Madeleine Bunting, author of The Seaside: England’s Love Affair, tells Ros Taylor about her odyssey around the English coast, the threat posed by sewage discharges, and the special affection she holds for Brighton — a town where anything can seem possible.

“There are still huge reserves of affection for seaside towns.”
“People flock to seaside towns because they think that is where they can start again.”
“There’s a hedonism to the seaside. It has always been about indulging fantasy.’
“The Essex coastline is fascinating, and often gets overlooked.”

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Producer and audio editor: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The coast is dear: Our complex love affair with seaside towns