The 1980s seaside snaps that sparked a controversy

Martin Parr's photographs of New Brighton in the early to mid-1980s were controversial

When photographer Martin Parr visited the Northern seaside resort of New Brighton more than 40 years ago he had no idea the shots he would take there would divide a nation.

It was meant to be about capturing a moment in time and challenging people's perceptions of social classes.

The collection, New Brighton, The Last Resort, showcased the best - and worst - days at the seaside, with pictures of day trippers enjoying picnics among the litter and rundown amenities which characterised the Wirral town at the time.

But, ahead of a new film about his life, Parr admits those famous seaside shots "became very controversial".

Photographer Martin Parr returned to New Brighton (above) and said it was good to see it looking better now than it did 40 years ago

"People from London and the South East, they really didn't know what places in the North looked like," said Parr, now 72.

"The litter was quite terrible, but they just weren't used to it, so it was almost like it was my fault that the place looked so scruffy."

The Last Resort has been reprinted six times since it was published

While Parr initially felt like he was a victim in a blame game, he said he was simply showing the resort beside the River Mersey as it was.

He said he came in for criticism from people who questioned "how dare this middle-class photographer photograph the working class in this cynical way".

"So it became very controversial, which in the end hasn't done me much harm," he added.

Martin Parr revisited the resort for a film about his life

Parr, who was born in 1952, in Epsom, Surrey, said he had always had an affinity with the north-west of England.

His grandfather, George Parr, was a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and it was he who inspired Martin to become a photographer.

When he came to do The Last Resort, it was a radical move in the early 1980s, partly because he opted to use colour film.

The photographer's career will be showcased in a film being screened across the north west of England

"At the time, I was trying my best to bring an encapsulation of what I see in front of me into photographs.

"I like to see how people unravel, try to capture the moment.

"New Brighton was a very rundown resort at the time, so there was litter everywhere.

"It was really scruffy, but still of course people went there for their day trip. It was part of the tradition."

Martin Parr took photographs of everyday life during his visit to New Brighton

Parr added he wanted to contrast "people having a good day out" with the "shabby backdrop".

"That was an amazing project for me, and still to this very day it is my best-known body of work".

He said the film, I Am Martin Parr, will be screened across North West cinemas including New Brighton which "makes perfect sense".

"What better place to show the film but in New Brighton where a lot of the footage of me walking around there, talking to people, was shot?"

'Different place now'

However some local people were not impressed with Parr's work at the time according to Sean Martin, current chairman of New Brighton Coastal Community Team.

"I wasn't here at the time but there were people who tell me they think he staged a lot of the photos," said Mr Martin.

He added: "Some people say he picked places where they had the worst litter.

"In any case New Brighton is a much different place now especially since Covid when people want to be by the sea."

He added: "We have the longest beach in the UK, our hospitality is booming and we have historic sites such as Vale Park and the Dome Of Home church.

"This town has survived because successive generations had faith in it."

Additional reporting by Isobel Fry