Picturesque UK village named the world’s most beautiful – but locals are not happy

A PICTURESQUE UK village has been named the world’s most beautiful – but locals are not happy.

The small picture postcard village in the Cotswolds topped the list of 50 most beautiful in the world this year but residents are worried the honour will bring even more tourists to the area.

AlamyBibury village in the Cotswolds has been named the world’s most beautiful[/caption]

Adrian SherrattBut locals fear that it will bring even more tourists into the area[/caption]

Adrian SherrattThere have been an influx of tourists in recent years because of interest on social media[/caption]

Forbes curated the list that saw Bibury, Gloucestershire, take the crown for the most beautiful village on the planet.

It beat off fierce competition from second-placed Hallsatt village in Austria and Reine village in Norway which placed third.

Even if you haven’t visited, you’ll probably have seen photos of the famous Arlington Row which is said to have inspired Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.

But Bibury Parish Council chair, Craig Chapman, told the BBC the latest honour was a “double-edged sword” and comes “at a cost for locals”.

The area has seen an influx of tourists in recent years due to online interest.

Residents around Arlington Row have previously claimed visitors trample on their gardens and peer through the windows and even walk into their homes as they take continuous selfies.

Some also claimed the oblivious pic hunters have also knocked down walls in their cars, blocked their driveways and several of the endless stream of coaches even run people over.

The village is home to only 600 residents but over 20,000 tourists can pour into the area during the busiest weekends of the summer each year.

“I’m fairly flabbergasted, having travelled the world, to believe we’re the most attractive village in the world,” Chapman said.

“It’s a great honour but it’s a little bit of a surprise, there’s a lot of competition out there.”

This year, Bibury introduced a range of restrictions in an attempt to reduce the impact of over-tourism.

This included swapping parking bays in the village centre for new drop-off and pick-up points.

And, in August, visitors were even asked to arrive in smaller vehicles to ease congestion on its narrow roads.

Coaches regularly arrive with thousands looking to get a glimpse of the stunning location.

One resident previously told The Sun that the village had gone from “10 to 90 coaches a day” with a quadrupling of tourists coming into the village.

Chapman said the situation had become “problematic” as the village is located on a B-road with only a one-lane bridge for vehicles to use to cross the river.

He stressed the need for “harmony” between residents and visitors but said the new restrictions are beginning to help.

But now, after being crowned the world’s most beautiful village, Bibury residents are concerned even more tourists will flood into the area.

Bibury previously hit the news in 2017 after social media users complained their photos of Arlington Row where photobombed by an “ugly little yellow car”.

And while Bibury has been voted the most beautiful in the world, there are other Cotswolds villages worth visiting too.

Witney, is often overlooked, but has quaint streets, a highly-rated teddy bear shop, local cafes and a wildlife farm.

Castle Combe is another popular village which has been used as a backdrop for Hollywood blockbusters such as Stardust and Steven Spielberg‘s War Horse.

And there’s a Cotswolds village with its own sandy beach and lagoon – miles from the English seaside.

Adrian SherrattThe village has introduced a range of restrictions on tourists in the last year[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]