He has noticed a “different clientele” recently, including a “certain amount of people [visiting] Weston that usually go down to Cornwall”. “Those people have a bit of money,” Mr Cope said. “I’ve noticed it’s busier, but hotels haven’t jumped up to it.”

You also still get Bristolians, he added, as well as people from Birmingham. “I don’t think they [local officials] are making the most of it,” he said.

“Hotels on the front are not appealing. It doesn’t make people want to come back. I love the town, I was born here. I’ve a lot of affection.” He added: “The whole country’s got it’s problems, hasn’t it? The sea’s still fine, and there’s a bit of wind. I’m happy.”

The sailing scene, however, has also seen a decline. Pointing at the bay, Mr Cope said: “There used to be great national and international races there. There used to be a lot of boats in this harbour. There’s hardly anything now.”

“The facades are really nice, but you’ve got to get people wanting to use the high street,” Karen Dudley, 61, who lives just outside Weston in the village of Bleadon said.

Noting that the Marks and Spencer and TJ Hughes stores have closed down, she added: “It’s really not a very good high street.”

Mrs Dudley then acknowledged that the authorities are “trying to up the profile” of the area, adding that its “fantastic sand and wonderful, blue Cornish sea” are attractive features.

But she added that they “don’t seem to be able to attract” independent businesses. Her husband, Andrew, 60, said the town boasts “great structures”.

“The only thing that lets it down for me is the phone shops, second hand shops and vape shops. Considering the amount of [housing] development, it’s not just for tourism. It’s got to be for the local people as well.”

His wife mentioned that young people are venturing outside of Bristol and buying up new properties in new estates near Weston.

According to Zoopla, the average house price for sold properties in Bristol is £386,127. In North Somerset, it is slightly lower at £360,322, and in Weston it drops further to £273,157.

“You go to somewhere like Lyme Regis, and you have a wonderful high street with independent shops,” Mrs Dudley said.

But she added that, in Weston, you’ve got an “attitude” similar to Blackpool, she suggested, that is centred on it being a “classic” seaside resort, complete with English rock shops, piers and souvenir shops.

“Which is good,” Mrs Dudley said, “but you’ve got to do more for the people who live here.” Like other locals, the couple are also frustrated by the state of the 158-year-old Birnbeck Pier.

“It’s a shame,” Mrs Dudley said. “The locals wanted to see it back to its former glory… I think there’s a bit of frustration.”

In June, the RNLI announced its withdrawal from the pier project, following a “thorough analysis of the Birnbeck Pier and Island business case”.

North Somerset Council said that this has put its restoration at risk, with the phase of work to repair the structure “in jeopardy”. The project, officials added, has a £5million shortfall, which the RNLI had previously agreed to fund.

The couple are impressed with the £39million rebuild of The Grand Pier, which was destroyed by a fire in 2008. But they and other residents would like to see a lido there.

Mr Cope said: “When the pier burned down, the next day I was thinking, ‘that’s it. Weston’s had it.’ But, fair play, they’ve built it.”

Down the seafront is the Old Colonial pub, where Cheyanne Boyle, 23, has worked since February.

She said: “There are lot of drug addicts here. Where I live, it’s very rough. There are loads of drugs dealers and drug addicts.”

The hospitality worker added that she feels safe in the area, but, when she gets a chance, goes somewhere else that’s less “boring”, like Cheddar or Bristol.

“The shops are horrendous,” she said. “I don’t really shop in Weston as much, unless it’s food shopping.” Colleague Amanda Oliver, 43, has lived in Weston for 35 years.

Indifferent, she said: “It’s Weston.” She added: “They need to do something with the shops and that; they’re all shut down.”

Also mentioned was traffic during rush hour. “Go through Banwell, not the motorway,” Ms Oliver advised. “Otherwise you stand still for God knows how long.”

Patron David Edwards, 67, a retired mechanical engineer is frustrated that people are charged for parking on parts of the seafront like Marine Parade, which was left to locals by the Smyth-Pigott family.

He said the council is “ripping off the poor”, adding: “This council is very good at robbing the poor and paying the rich.”

The local also raised a £425,000 undoing of the most unpopular aspects of the local authority’s “yellow brick road” scheme in nearby Clevedon, which saw sea view parking removed, and a new cycle lane with much derided wavy lines installed.

Pint in hand, he then mentioned that the council puts bus lanes “here, there, everywhere” and “no buses use them”. “Let’s cause some havoc, and build some bus lanes,” he imagined officials saying.

Mr Edwards then claimed he had sent emails to the leader of North Somerset Council, Councillor Mike Bell, and has received no replies.

The council told the Express: “We are not aware of any questions or complaints raised by a David Edwards.”

Sim Mukherjee, 42, who works in retail, has just moved to the area from Manchester with her husband, who works in the banking sector.

The couple were not able to get a place in Bristol city centre.

She said: “It’s very peaceful, very safe. People are very friendly. That’s what I’m finding after Manchester, anyway.

“It’s a very naturally beautiful town.” Asked if anything could be improved, she added: “I like it the way it is.

“It’s not a city. Everybody knows everybody. I even spotted a person leaving the door open when they were sleeping at night. That’s a first for me.”

But the road “could be improved”, the newcomer said, as, like Ms Oliver, she highlighted that it takes a while to get to Bristol during peak times.

Also enjoying a stroll along the seafront were Sue and Steve Mantyk, a retired electronic contractor and hairdresser and careworker aged 72 and 74.

The pair, from North Petherton in Somerset, were irked by the parking situation, and think people of their generation have been left behind by the technology needed to pay for a spot nowadays.

Sue said: “They don’t think of people our age. I have idea how to use these apps… I just don’t know how you do it.”

Steve added: “It’s a beautiful place. It’s just this parking.” But he added that, he feels privileged to be able to travel to Weston.

“When I was growing up, my parents couldn’t afford us to come to Weston,” he recalled. “Its good. I didn’t come up here until I was a teenager.”

This a reminder of how times have changed. The UK’s seaside towns used to be the places to go, before cheap flights abroad.

Even after the advent of the package holiday, many chose to stay and still frequent coastal resorts, and they enjoyed reaping the benefits of that.

But today, lots are experiencing hard times and are in need of investment so they can better reflect their heydays.

Staring out to Birnbeck Pier, Sue then observed: “It’s sad, because it was beautiful.”

In response to locals’ wide-ranging complaints, Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s cabinet member for sustainable places and service transformation, said: “Weston-super-Mare boasts a vibrant town centre with a wide range of independent shops and high street names. We worked with Weston-super-Mare Town Council to launch a new independent weekly market in April, which I’m delighted is proving to be a real success.

“We’ve been restoring a number of high street units, one of which has already seen a new Warrens Bakery open in the town, demonstrating confidence in its future. The town centre is not just reliant on retail, though, we’re proud of our burgeoning arts and culture scene with a year-round programme of events.”

The councillor also mentioned a multi-million pound investment in the area recent years, including a £20million award by the Government, which is enabling a programme of “significant projects to improve Weston”.

He added: “We’re working hard to deliver this programme, which includes giving the Grade II Listed Birnbeck Pier a bright future and delivering major investment in, and securing a new operator for, the Tropicana event venue following approval of a planning application in June.

“Key partners are also driving forward positive change, for example Weston-super-Mare Town Council is reinventing the Old Town Quarry. The housing market is booming, with supply outstripping demand and house price increases exceeding the national average.

“All of this is attracting growing inward investment in the area including US tech-giant Epic. There’s so much going on, it’s impossible to list it all!”