A series of pictures has left residents of a County Durham town in a rage after they depicted what was described as a ‘rundown’ street.

The images, captured by Billy Atkinson, show a number of empty and abandoned buildings along with a number of closed-down shops on Front Street in Chester-le-Street.

Residents took to the comments to voice their anger over the images with many branding the street as a “mess” and a “sh** hole.”

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Billy Atkinson)

Over 180 comments have been left on the post with one person saying: “It’s so sad, never thought Chester-le-Street would ever get in this state.”

Some residents blamed retail parks for the decline with one person saying: “So sad. With all the retail parks getting bigger more shops and free parking little towns have no chance not with the massive rents they have to pay for a tiny shop.”

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Picture: BILLY ATKINSON)

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Another person said: “It is so sad and I would like to think a regeneration plan would help but I won’t hold my breath.

“When you live a stone's throw from the front street and see the decline over the years it’s shocking.”

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Picture: BILLY ATKINSON)

Others have been quick to say that many other town centres across the North East are similar.

One angry commenter said: “It's the same everywhere now. The face of retail has changed, it will continue to evolve.”

Another person added: “Stanley front street is a million times worse.

“It’s so sad to see.

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Picture: BILLY ATKINSON)

“It would be much better to ask for cheaper rents than to have nothing from them at all….the place would look a lot better”

Graham Wood, Durham County Council’s economic development manager, said the closures are a result of “challenging times.”

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Picture: BILLY ATKINSON)

He said: “It’s always sad to see empty properties in any town centre and it’s reflective of just how challenging a time this is across the country’s high streets.

“Rising energy costs, inflation and strain on household budgets have combined to make trading conditions extremely difficult and of course, traders have also had the pandemic and the shift to online and out-of-town shopping to contend with.

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Billy Atkinson)

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“But we remain absolutely committed to supporting town centres across the county and we’ve been working directly with 20 businesses in Chester-le-Street over the last two years, providing support ranging from training to advice on accessing business grants

“The most recent vacancy rates in Chester-le-Street were lower than the national average but we’re aware that a number of vacant units are in large units and prominent locations.

The Northern Echo: Picture: BILLY ATKINSONPicture: BILLY ATKINSON (Image: Picture: BILLY ATKINSON)

“We’re in contact with owners and agents involved in empty units to encourage them to bring them back into use, and we will support that process in any way we can.”