‘Scary’ reason Aussies are leaving London

A Queenslander living in London has revealed the terrifying reason she has decided to come home after less than a year in the UK.

“Terrified” Australians appear to be leaving London in droves due to one scary problem.

Brisbane woman Emily Brogan made the big move to the other side of the world last year to start a new life in London.

While she had been excited for the vibrant city life she had heard about, she says that her dreams have been quashed due to the frightening rate of crime in the English capital.

Though she says she still “loves London” she is moving back home after just 11 months due to the city becoming too “stabby stabby”.

Emily, who has 23 million likes on TikTok, explained in a video that there had been a few scary incidents that hit a little close to home, including her neighbour being robbed.

“(My neighbour) goes, ‘I need to tell you something, I need to warn you,” she begins.

“She told me she was emptying recycling boxes and she was a metre from the front door. She left the door open … she was a metre from her own flat.

“And same, I empty the rubbish and leave the doors open, which is probably dumb in hindsight.

“But she tells me that someone literally walked into her flat and was like ‘adios’. Her s**t got stolen while she was a metre from her door.”

Emily said this was not an isolated incident, explaining that her flatmate recently had her phone stolen from “two guys on bikes” in the area where she lives.

She said she has lived with “so much anxiety” since moving to London, adding her phone was stolen twice and her bag was stolen all in the span of a month.

She is now moving back to Australia. Picture: Instagram / Emily Brogan

“Since then, I have literally not been the same,” she said.

“If anything, it makes me feel better, because it means this doesn’t just happen to me. But also, I’m not being overparnoid.

“That is one of the reasons I’m going home. The weather, I want a change. And I don’t feel safe here in London.

“I still love London, but it is stabby stabby. Thank god nothing has happened to me.”

Her fears were shared by many others in the comments who agreed the city was simply “not safe”.

“I have had my phone stolen four times in the past year living in London,” one said.

“It’s not just you girl.”

“Feel this so much. I’m Australian, been living in London for over 10 years now and I’m moving back at the end of the year,” another commented.

“I used to feel so safe but not the last couple of years. The stories you hear are insane.”

“My family moved to Australia from the UK and my parents are so sad about how much it has changed over there,” one added.

“Australia isn’t perfect, but I feel so much safer here.”

London has always been a hub for Australians. Picture: iStock

Many other Australians have warned others to stay away from London as street crime and the cost of living crisis spiral out of control.

A phone is stolen every six minutes in London, according to police statistics, with 8,500 snatched in January alone.

In 2023, official figures showed 1.2 million migrants arrived in the UK, with a large proportion of them moving to London, pushing up rents and homelessness.

“I’ve been here for almost seven years. I’m ready to leave now,” one woman said on Reddit.

“Especially after the pandemic, something doesn’t quite feel the same.”

Another expat who has called the city home for six years said sticking to “wealthier areas” used to help curb trouble, but feels even these have become unsafe.

“I have lived in what people say are the best/richest neighbourhoods in London and crime is so prevalent here,” he said.

“It’s not even a joke and nowadays it is becoming more and more present. I now hear police passing by my house every day whereas before it used to be once every two weeks,’ he complained.”

Emily moved to London last year for a new adventure. Picture: Instagram / Emily Brogan

She has felt unsafe in the city after a few scary incidents. Picture: Instagram / Emily Brogan

Another social media user from Melbourne who considers himself “reasonably street smart” explains that he had his phone stolen while waiting for an Uber at London’s Gatwick Airport.

He said that this was the first time he had ever had anything stolen.

The thief apparently crashed into the man while on a moped and stole his phone right out of his hand.

The London School of Economics revealed that violent crime in the city has had a profound impact on the cost of living pressures which have crippled the population.

According to the school’s data, the cost of living increased by 1 per cent, reported crime increased by eight per cent.

This has turned many people off moving to London.

She said she is excited to feel safe when back home. Picture: Instagram / Emily Brogan

“Inflation has hit the UK much worse than Australia, and so far Australia seems to be enjoying a slow descent into recession whereas the UK is taking a sharp dive,” one Australian in London said on Reddit.

Many agreed, with one local stating his grocery bills has increased by 30-50 per cent in the past two years, while his rent had soared by 10-15 per cent.

He estimated that buying lunch now cost him 30 per cent more, while transport has risen 10 per cent.

In that time, his pay had only marginally increased.

Despite this, many still adore London and could not dream of living anywhere else.

“I love living here, I travel a lot and I am always relieved when I get back,” one said.

“I moved to London from Australia and was able to be myself for the first time in my life. It is wonderful”.

“I’ve lived here 20 years and every time I cross one of the central bridges over the Thames my heart skips a beat,” said another Aussie.