City 'fifth worst' says travel bible

Wolverhampton is the fifth worst city in the world according to travel bible Lonely Planet.

The holiday experts rank it alongside crime-ridden cities like Detroit and Los Angeles in America and "grubby" Central American city San Salvador.

In an on-line list, Lonely Planet author Vivek Wagle compiled the top nine "cities you really hate" based on things said on an internet forum by readers.

But while all the other cities have a write-up in the printed guide, Wolverhampton is not even mentioned. Instead the only reason given is that it is "so bad that we don't even have it on this site".

The only justification readers can find is a link to the forum in which someone claims tastelessly that Wolverhampton looks as bad as Ground Zero in New York straight after the 9/11 terror attacks that left thousands dead.

The city is ranked worse than San Salvador in Central America, which was deemed grubby, and Chennai in India which was found to be lacking any of the prosperity, history or buzz of other cities.

Only Detroit, with its huge crime rate, Accra in Ghana with its chaotic sprawl, Seoul in South Korea, which has no spirit, and the urban overcrowding of Los Angeles fare worse.

An expert on the city today reacted angrily to the snub, speculating Wolverhampton's critics have not even bothered to look around it.

Richard Rhodes, who has been chairman of Wolverhampton Civic Society since 1983, said: "I think it is scandalous that they can write off our city without having even visited it.

"We have some wonderful places such as West Park and Bantock House that would appeal to tourists.

"The old town hall, now the magistrates court, is also a wonderfully attractive building."

In the latest Great Britain edition of Lonely Planet, released in March 2009, the Black Country was omitted because it does not have "enough drawcards".

By Daniel Wainwright