Thousands of visitors descend on New Brighton in Merseyside each year, yet a survey conducted by UK consumer champion Which? almost a year ago placed the seaside town amongst the bottom 20 in the country. Nearly 12 months on, the Liverpool Echo has spoken to locals and businesses to find out whether that reputation is truly deserved.

Last June, the organisation polled more than 3,800 people on UK seaside towns, assessing each location across a range of criteria. New Brighton fared particularly poorly in terms of beach quality, food and drink offerings, and scenery. Coming in 108th out of 118 destinations, New Brighton received an overall score of 52%, with Bognor Regis, Southend-on-Sea and Blackpool also propping up the rankings.

Despite the survey's damning verdict on its food and drink scene, Lee Chean, who runs Love Coffee on the waterfront, says his experience tells an entirely different story.

"It is a destination venue," Lee proclaimed. "When it's warm, when it's sunny, it's honestly bouncing down here, it's vibrant. People from all different demographics, different areas, all come here. They all love it. It's an old school seaside town. How many places are left like this?"

Lee could conceivably have set up his coffee shop anywhere across Merseyside, yet he insists he always knew New Brighton was the perfect location: "Look at it. Who else has got an office like this?"

Rebecca Edwards, 43, who runs Becky's Brekkys on Victoria Road, said: "It used to be quite quiet when I opened here nine years ago, but since Rockpoint Records and a few more pubs [opened], it's got much busier, a lot of families visit now and we have people coming in from America."

While the Merseyside town appears to have preserved some of its charm, numerous people interviewed suggested it was lagging behind regarding evening entertainment options.

John Hodson, 87, a resident of three decades, said: "I don't think there's enough things for younger people to do. Apart from the bowling alley, there's only the slot machines."

Meanwhile, Erin Mason, 25, from the Wirral, recalled visiting New Brighton during childhood but seldom returns nowadays. She said: "My parents always used to say there were loads of bars down here.

"There was a nightlife when they were young, they always used to come out here, whereas me and my friends would never come here for a night out. I think there's no reason to [come here]."

Ian Reid, 61, attempted to pinpoint why the town has witnessed such a sharp decline in its night-time economy in recent years.

"One problem is the changing licensing laws and habits have made it that the nightclubs that used to be here, there isn't really a market for anymore. It became more attractive to go to Liverpool, people went out [of New Brighton] because they could stay out later, they'd go out later. We've got grandkids who live here and they all go to Liverpool [for a night out]."

He added: "In some respects, [New Brighton] is a town for the people. If you had the nightclubs here then it'd probably bring in people that would upset the people [living here]."

During the 1980s and 90s, New Brighton could boast some of Merseyside's most cherished bars and clubs, with venues such as RJ's, The Chelsea Reach, Witches Cauldron, The Tavern and The Empress Club amongst the popular late-night destinations that have since shut their doors permanently.

Another New Brighton institution that has vanished over the years is the New Brighton Baths, which were destroyed in February 1990 after devastating storms prompted the council to determine that the open-air baths had been damaged "virtually to destruction".

Despite the many transformations New Brighton has undergone over the decades, Ian Reid noted that the seaside town continues to hold a certain charm for many. He said: "We've got a friend who's just spent 40 years living away and has just moved back. Just really left London to come back here. You know, she's been preparing it for the last 10 years, laying the roots. But she's finally been able to retire and has come back, and she's delighted."