It was once the global capital of the China Clay industry, bringing enormous wealth, jobs and pride to the area, but St Austell is now gripped by poverty and drug abuse.
The town's reputation has become so bad that locals have cruelly dubbed it 'St Awful' and this week told MailOnline they now fear to walk down the high street.
Signs of drug abuse were everywhere, a sharps bin installed in a town centre car park was overflowing with hypodermic needles.
Youtuber JoeFish recently found dozens of drug addicts passed out in the town centre in the middle of the day.
Morley Cummings, 59, who slept rough in the town for 10 years before getting his own place, told MailOnline: 'It's worse now than I've ever seen it.
