Locals say Margate has been beset by drugs since Londoners moved in

Locals living in a trendy seaside town beloved by celebrities and hipsters say it has been beset by drugs since Londoners moved in.

Margate residents have spoken out about the influx of drugs in the coastal tourist hotspot after a bad batch of MDMA killed a 17-year-old schoolgirl and hospitalised 21 others after a gig at the town’s Dreamland venue.

Emily Stokes, 17, died after a suspected MDMA overdose during a drum ‘n’ bass gig on June 29 at Dreamland – which has now been dubbed by some locals as ‘Drugland’.

Another 21 youngsters fell ill after suspected drug use – with one left in an induced coma.

The shocking incident has alarmed locals and led to some calling for Dreamland’s licence to be revoked.

The venue is on the site of an amusement park which was created in 1880 and revived in 2015 after decades of decline.

Its regeneration is part of Margate’s transition to an arts hub for former Londoners which has breathed new life into the 60s seaside resort.

But some long-term locals and regular visitors have said that the trendiness of Dreamland and its events have brought harmful drugs to their doorstep.

Margate stalwart Ray Voss, 78, has lived in the coastal town since 1966 and slammed the influx of ex-Londoners.

He said: ’60 or 70 per cent of the people who came down here take drugs.

‘When you walk around you can smell it. They smoke cannabis.

‘It’s bad when the gigs are on at Dreamland too. It’s more like Drugland, Margate.’

 

Liz Hammocks, 62, has lived in Margate since she was six years old – and has run businesses across Thanet for the last two decades.

She said: ‘We definitely can smell a lot more weed all the time. Sometimes we are standing here and it just wafts through the shop.

‘I think it’s due to the more artsy people who are coming down.

‘Years and years ago, this was a very posh area. It had Russell & Bromley along the high street and all that.

‘But then it all dropped when the package holidays became a thing.

‘And then the London councils have sent down the people they don’t want here – so it’s kind of the dropped from here.’

But Liz added: ‘But to be fair, I wouldn’t say the town is worse than it was 10 or 20 years ago. We can’t blame the DFLs (Down From London) for it.’

Retired painter and decorator Colin Goodman, 66, said: ‘Whenever you get a concentration of people like in Dreamland – you get an increase in drugs, you get an increase in crime and an increase in violence.

‘It’s the same across the whole country.

‘And people say that it’s a good thing because of the money – but the council keeps the money to themselves.

‘Us people on the outskirts rather than the old town don’t get our bins collected.

‘You couldn’t pay me to be a young person today with all the peer pressure they get with drugs.’

Former pub manager Dean Temple, 37, said that the venue’s renewed popularity was bound to lead to an increase in drug-taking.

Dean said: ‘It’s the law of attractions. You are going to have drugs there because it attracts young people.

‘I ran pubs for many years and the police would always come in if we played garage music and say that it attracts drugs.

 

‘It attracts the people that are more likely to be involved with drugs. Young people who are maybe between jobs and are bored are much more likely to be involved with that sort of thing.

‘And gigs attracts those sort of young people.

‘But Dreamland has been a great thing for Margate too.’

Jane Smith, 41, runs the Olympia café in the Kent seaside hotspot.

She said: ‘Kids will do whatever they want.

‘But they should have separate teenager and adult events so security know what to do and how on it to be.

‘I’ve been to gigs up there. I went to go see Madness in Dreamland recently and it was a good time but people were smoking weed and that – it’s not right that kids should be around that.’

Amanda Harris, 51, and Poppy Preston, 49, visit Margate from their homes in Essex and London for gigs and holiday jaunts.

They denied that the influx of so-called DFLs had caused an uptick in drug usage.

Poppy said: ‘I think seaside towns are the worst for drugs generally. I don’t think it’s anything to do with the increase in tourism here.

Amanda added: ‘You are checked on the doors to see if you’re carrying anything – but if someone has taken a pill beforehand or something how are they supposed to know?

‘Since Covid, a lot of venues have lost their licences so they are actually getting harsher.

‘They’re not going to risk it and not check.’

Former raver and long-time Margate resident Joseph Cornwell, 51, agreed with Poppy and Amanda.

He said: ‘Margate used to be a hotbed for crack and heroin – we don’t see that anymore.

‘People will keep going to parties and taking pills that they haven’t tested and they suffer for that and it’s a problem that needs to be sorted.

‘But I don’t think Dreamland should be blamed. A lot of people have done a lot of drugs, you know?

‘I’m a former raver – I saw my raving mates dying all the time in the 80s and 90s.

‘It’s very sad what has happened to this girl – but it’s one case rather than being all the time.

‘And the mix between adults and kids at the gigs means that the young ones learn how to enjoy themselves at a gig without overdoing it.’

Following Emily’s suspected overdose, Dreamland cancelled a similar event that was scheduled for July 27, and the application described the entertainment park as a ‘well run’ premises and ‘well suited to what we would deem to be lower risk events’.

Dreamland’s licence was kept – but with new conditions placed upon it after Emily Stokes’s death and the swathe of illness caused. 

Kent Police listed a number of interim measures to be put in place before the licensing review, which the licensing sub-committee agreed were necessary on July 9.

The interim steps include formal cancellation of all drum and bass events and those deemed to be a higher risk association with class A and B drug use by those under 18, as well as more security staff, zero tolerance signage and for under-18s to be accompanied by adults over 25 years old.

A Dreamland manager said: ‘Our thoughts and prayers remain with Emily Stokes’ family and friends. 

‘Dreamland works closely with Thanet District Council and the emergency services when planning our events and we remain committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all our visitors. 

‘We will continue to assist the police with their investigation.’

Following Emily’s death, a GoFundme appeal by her sister Megan Stokes was launched, it raised almost £6,000.

On the page Megan wrote: ‘Hi i’m megan stokes i’m starting up a go fund me as my younger sister has tragically passed away from an overdose from being spiked last night in margate.

‘Emily was the kindest person you could ever meet she was so full of life and to have her taken away so suddenly at just only 17 years old it has completely broke me and it breaks my heart that we may not be able to give her the send off she would’ve wanted so i’ve set this up so hopefully we can give her the best send off many thanks megan.’

The concerns over drugs in Margate come amidst town’s tourism boom in recent years, and it has even been dubbed the ‘Camden of the south east’. 

But all the attention has come at a cost, with residents saying the gentrification of the once humble Kent town has caused house prices to skyrocket as Londoners snap up second homes and Airbnb rentals continue to open en masse. 

Research in 2022 showed the town has seen the biggest increase in prices in the past decade with the average asking price rising from £145,311 to £294,209 – an increase of a staggering 102.5 per cent. 

Even secretive graffiti artist Banksy has made his mark on the town – literally – by spray-painting an artwork onto the side of a house last year, before it was unceremoniously wrecked by the local council.

Margate was also thrust into the limelight last year when Lily Allen made her acting debut in Sky comedy Dreamland which was set in the town.

The town has recently been heavily featured on a number of ‘cool’ lists, including being listed as having one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the UK by Time Out.

The reputation of the town, with its sandy beaches and classic architecture, has also been boosted by the 2022 Sam Mendes film, Empire of Light, starring Olivia Colman.