Furious locals in Bibury, Cotswolds, say tourists have been invading their privacy by causing mayhem outside their homes. It comes following a post-pandemic influx of visitors
A beautiful village which only has 700 residents isn’t as quite as peaceful as locals had hoped due to one huge issue.
Residents living in Bibury in the Cotswolds say their area is flooded with tourists which has taken away its peaceful charm. The small village is known for its 17th-century weavers’ cottages on Arlington Row and its stunning surroundings. Bibury was even labelled “the most beautiful village in England” by William Morris.
Sadly, tourism has become a major problem for locals who said they have been struggling to deal with the influx post-pandemic. In recent years, tourists have sought staycations in more quant, historic areas. But visitors have reportedly become rowdy and even try to leap over fences of private homes.
In one picture, people can be seen leaning against a stone cottage in a bid to get a selfie with a countryside background, reports DailyMail. Resident Sarah, 27, and her sister, Martha, 25, were left stunned by the scenes. Sarah said: “The coach pulled up in the middle of the road because there was nowhere to park, opened the door and everybody flooded out, cameras in hand, and they were literally standing there taking photographs of each other in front of people’s houses. It was extraordinary.
“I get that they perhaps come from places where people don’t have these lovely traditional stone cottages and front gardens, but it is causing chaos in this beautiful village. Surely they can find somewhere to park the coaches and cars so they don’t have to pull up in the street.”
Anthony White, 80, said at the time: “Since I moved here a couple of years ago, I’ve been shocked and increasingly concerned by the horrendous effects of over-tourism here. It can be so noisy, not just because of the traffic, but also the people walking along in huge groups past our house making so much noise. They just don’t care.
“Streams of people walk past here in groups of up to a dozen at all times of the day and night and I really feel something needs to be done to restrict numbers.” However, resident Sarah said there are benefits to tourism and believes a better traffic system just needs to be put in place. She said: “Yes, there are a lot of tourists here, but really I think people should stop moaning about it and enjoy the economic benefits they bring in.”
