Hordes of selfie-loving tourists have swarmed some of Britain’s most idyllic villages causing chaos – as furious locals lash out at the mayhem.
Large coach loads of visitors have inundated quaint communities across the Lake District and Cotswolds this week, blocking car parks and roads.
It comes as families and businesses in some of the nation’s tourism hotspots say they have reached breaking point over the mass influx of visitors.
Mobs of sightseers were seen packing out buses and descending on the picture postcard villages and towns for the day before returning to their urban sprawls.
Hundreds trampled along the narrow pavements in Bowness-on-Windemere as bus after bus dropped tourists off to the Cumbrian town, clogging roads and causing misery for locals.
Meanwhile, huge queues were seen for boat trips across Lake Windemere during the Easter break, as pandemonium erupted on the jetty for the water tour.
At Bourton-on-the-Water – dubbed the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’ for its tranquil streams and ornate stone bridges – hundreds of day-trippers arrived, wrecking the peace and quiet and causing carnage.
The village’s picturesque riverside walkways were clogged with families and sightseers as they trudged along them – leaving bins overflowing with rubbish.
A swarm of tourists mobbed the picturesque community of Bowness-on-Windemere in the Lake District – as the popular beauty spot struggles to cope with large numbers of visitors
Coach after coach of tourists are seen arriving at Bowness on Tuesday morning
The large horde of day-trippers clog the streets of Bowness as they march through the town
Large groups of tourists visited the picturesque village of Bibury where they were seen eagerly snapping pictures of people’s homes in the picture postcard community
In Bibury, Gloucestershire – once described by 19th Century writer William Morris as the ‘most beautiful village in England’ – tourists once again left locals frustrated.
The village is one of a growing number across Britain threatening to ban coaches in a desperate battle to combat over-tourism.
Overcrowding, parking disputes and brief whistle-stop tours without supporting the local economy are just some of the issues angering residents who say something must be done to stop visitors treating their homes like ‘Disney World’.
Seemingly showing little concern for other people’s property, tourists posed for photos on the doorsteps of local homes, with some seen leaning against doors as the smiled for the camera.
Exasperated villagers have taken to putting signs on their gardens calling on people not to trample across them, while others have blocked their drives with cones.
One person has even placed a sign saying ‘private’ in traditional Chinese characters in a bid to ward away unwanted foreigners, while another sign, also in Chinese, outside the Swan Hotel reads ‘entrance is prohibited’.
The increase of visitors is partly driven by so-called influencers promoting the tiny villages or rural retreats as perfect day trip destinations from big cities such as London on social media.
Bibury is home to about 600 people but every weekend, up to 20,000 tourists can besiege the community.
Bibury is home to about 600 people but every weekend, up to 20,000 tourists can besiege the community (pictured are visitors in Arlington Row, Bibury)
Locals have been left exasperated by selfie-snapping tourists using their homes for the back drops to their pictures
Families pose on Arlington Row in Bibury village centre to snap some photos
Bourton-On-The-Water – dubbed he ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’ for its streams and ornate stone bridges – saw hundreds of visitors descending upon it, shattering the tranquility
One sign in traditional Chinese characters at The Swan Hotel reads ‘entrance is prohibited’
Councillor Michelle Holt, a Bibury Parish Council, said the situation has now reached a tipping point and the village can no longer cope with the mobs.
‘The sheer volume is just overwhelming for the local community and we just don’t have the infrastructure to cope,’ he said.
Despite Bibury having two coach bays next to a bridge over the River Coln, up to six buses arrive on any given day.
Locals say if the existing bays are full then the coaches will unload at the nearest space big enough to accommodate them.
The huge hordes descending on the village create a safety hazard, exasperated residents added, with tourists clogging narrow paths, forcing people to walk in the road.
And Bibury’s roads are also often not wide enough for two coaches to pass each other which leads to traffic jams – causing further misery for the locals who feel like like prisoners in their own homes.
Craig Chapman, chairman of Bibury Parish Council, told the BBC: ‘Disruption to the heart of the village is exacerbated by the coaches.
‘In the height of tourist season it can take half an hour for a resident to get from one side of the village to the other.’
Coaches could, in the long term, be banned from stopping and parking in the village although less drastic measures will be adopted initially.
The first stage, in the next two months, will involve changing the layout of parking bays to stop coaches from parking or waiting in the layby on the B4425, next to the Swan Bridge in the centre of the village.
Day-trippers are seen walking through Bourton-On-The-Water on Tuesday
People walk along the narrow pavements in Bowness which is right beside the road
Tourists arrive on coaches at Bowness Coach park in Bowness-on-Windemere in the Lake District, where large queues were seen outside the boat tour kiosk
Two visitors take a moment to capture a photo on one of the ornate stone bridges in Bourton-on-the-Water
In Bibury this pair of tourists to the village stare at their phone after seemingly tasking a photo
One sign in Bibury, written in traditional Chinese characters, read ‘private’
The second stage will see further exploration of the introduction of restrictions on coach access to the centre of the village.
This would be dependent on the outcome of a legal consultation process that will start early in the summer.
Longer-term recommendations from the working group include looking into prohibiting coaches from stopping and parking in Bibury completely and improving signs to direct them away from its narrow lanes.
The group wants to see if there might be areas outside of the village where coaches could park.
It also wants to encourage tourists to use other ways of visiting Bibury, such as walking, cycling, using public transport or minibuses.
Councillor Stephen Davies, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: ‘We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Bibury residents and visitors.
‘The proposed measures will help manage traffic more effectively and enhance the overall experience for everyone.
Rubbish was seen spilling out of bins after tourists flocked to Bourton-on-the-Water
A couple tuck into some food in Bourton-on-the-Water on Tuesday
Dozens of tourists are seen disembarking coaches as they arrive in Bowness-on-Windemere
In Bibury, frustrated locals have left signs urging visitors to stay off the grass to stop them ruining it
Three woman smile broadly as they pose in front of a house in Bibury village centre
‘We appreciate the community’s support and cooperation as we implement these changes.
‘We also understand that these proposals may not be popular with coach operators, however we are determined to work to find a solution for coach tourists to be able to visit Bibury but this will take time.’
Last week, idiotic day-trippers were spotted standing inches from death as they peered over the crumbling cliffs at a popular East Sussex viewpoint.
Families were seen risking their lives by standing dangerously close to the cliff edge in the coastal hamlet of Birling Gap, one of Britain’s most popular beauty spots.
It comes as the National Trust, which manages the beauty spot, banned coaches from visiting it in a bid to cut the ‘tsunami of tourists’ and limit damage to the natural environment.
Up to 600,000 visitors a year flock to this stretch of the legendary Seven Sisters chalk cliffs – with non-stop sightseeing tours wrecking the grassland, paths and verges.
The ban is said to be the first of its kind that the trust has imposed on one of its attractions – and follows a council warning against straying too close to the cliff edge.
Idiotic day-trippers were spotted standing inches from death as they peer over the crumbling cliffs at a popular East Sussex viewpoint (pictured)
Tourists were seen standing dangerously close to the cliff edge (pictured) in the coastal hamlet of Birling Gap, one of Britain’s most popular beauty spots last week
Shocking images show sightseers, desperate for the perfect photo, venturing dangerously close to the crumbly chalk cliff edge. Astonishingly, this included several children (pictured)
It has raised fears the trust’s move could be a precursor to similar action in other hotspots, including the Cotswolds and the Lake District.
Residents living close to Birling Gap praised the ban last night and said it would help preserve the East Sussex beauty spot for future generations.
Philip Myerson said: ‘The coach ban hasn’t come a moment too soon. Birling Gap and Seven Sisters is being ruined by a huge increase in visitors in recent years.
‘It’s a tsunami and it’s having a really big impact on the small road, the verges, the grassland and the paths. Everything is being worn away.’
Shocking image showed sightseers, desperate for the perfect photo, venturing dangerously close to the crumbly chalk cliff edge. Astonishingly, this included several children.
East Sussex County Council has previously issued a warning about straying too close to the cliff edge, as even more tourists flock to area amid warmer weather.
A council spokesman said: ‘The iconic white cliffs are very popular with visitors but they are extremely unstable and can give way at any time with no warning.’
Conservative councillor Claire Dowling said: ‘The cliffs contain many overhangs and cracks that visitors may not be able to see, as illustrated recently by a large crack in the chalk cliff near Belle Tout lighthouse.’
