Jaywick Sands: Republican Nick Stella says he didn’t mean to smear Essex village with US midterms campaign The message on the bleak photo of the village read: ‘Only you can stop this from becoming reality!’

A Congressional candidate has said he never intended to tarnish the reputation of a seaside village in Essex after he used an image of the area to highlight the supposed risks of voting Democrat in the US midterm elections.

As part of his campaign Republican Nick Stella, who is running for Congress in Illinois, used a shabby-looking image of Jaywick Sands, near Clacton-on-Sea, which showed run-down homes and unpaved roads, as reported by BuzzFeed.

It was intended to be a warning about the consequences voters faced if they did not support Donald Trump in the elections next Tuesday.

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Mr Stella’s message on the photo read: “Only you can stop this from becoming reality!

But the image angered locals who said it was old and that the area had dramatically improved recently.

‘Help keep American thriving’

“Help President Trump keep America on track and thriving,” Mr Stella’s message read, before adding that voters could not return to “foreclosures, unemployment and economic recession”.

The image was posted to Mr Stella’s Facebook page but has since been deleted. His spokeswoman Raquel Mitchell said their “intent was never to smear the town in the photo, now known to us as Jaywick Sands in Essex”.

“We never used the name. For us it was an example of a town overburdened by poor governance, which is exactly what we in our district are seeking to prevent at every level,” she added.

Jaywick Sands was reported to have chronic levels of unemployment, high levels of crime and poor educational attainment.

It was the most deprived neighbourhood in England in 2015, according to a Government report.

But councillor Kevin Watson told the Press Association the image used in the campaign advert, from the Brooklands area of the town, was old and that the flood-prone area looked very different today thanks to a £6.5m investment from Essex County Council.

He said the roads have been tarmacked and there was “fantastic drainage” in place.

‘People take pride in the area’

“People are taking pride in their area. Things are looking very good in Jaywick, probably the best since it was a holiday destination.

“I’m sure there are quite a few places in America that are just as bad,” he added.

Penelope Read, who made a documentary called Jaywick: A Diamond In The Rough, in 2016, said she was angry the image was used.

The 70-year-old, from Clacton-on-Sea, said: “I’m angry at the injustice. I love Jaywick and I don’t think foreign people should be using our village as a political tool. How dare they?”

Ms Mitchell added: “Leadership matters, and there’s proof all around the world that with the right people in place, conditions can improve. And I’m glad that Jaywick Sands now shares a similar success story.”

Additional reporting from Press Association