'Things vanish off the edge': Barnsley counts the cost of a decade of austerity

The borough council has lost a third of its budget and the results are plain to see

Thurnscoe in South Yorkshire has a population of 8,500 and a local economy that speaks volumes about modern British history. Until the demise of the coal industry it was a pit village, where 80% of the male workforce earned their living from mining.

Now, on the site of the former Houghton main colliery three miles down the road, there is a vast distribution centre run by the online fashion giant Asos.

Related: Exclusive: Labour councils in England hit harder by austerity than Tory areas