LOCALS in a picturesque village say their town is being ruined by tourists who knock on their doors and take snaps of them inside their homes.
Castle Combe in Wiltshire has been used as a backdrop for Hollywood blockbusters such as Stardust and Steven Spielberg‘s War Horse and is a delightful day trip for sightseers.
AlamyCastle Combe in Wiltshire has become a hub for tourists from around the world[/caption]
AlamyLocals have fumed that the chocolate box village has turned into the ‘set of Disneyland’[/caption]
GettyA picturesque view of cottages with Cotswold stone walls in Castle Combe[/caption]
Set within the Cotswolds, Castle Combe is routinely named as one of the prettiest villages in the country.
Country Living listed the English village as one of the most picturesque places to visit in the country, writing: “This quintessentially English village is known as the ‘prettiest village in England‘.
But residents in Castle Combe in the Cotswolds say their patience is running thin as visitors from around the world continue to disturb their peace.
Around 400 people call the chocolate box village home, while 150,000 tourists pack into the idyllic area annually.
Speaking to the Express, Hilary Baker, 69, a former police officer and bed and breakfast owner, urged visitors: “Give us a little bit of consideration.”
She added that drones have even been flown over the village, “filming children”, but pointed out that this has been less of an issue recently.
Ms Baker said: “That’s what caused everybody to go, ‘This is now beyond reasonable.’
“Because our children are precious, you don’t know who’s on the other end of the camera.
“I’m not casting aspersions, but you just don’t know anymore.
“It’s out there in the ether before you can blink an eye.”
Local Hilary, who has lived in the village for nearly four decades, was equally condemning of the behaviour of some visitors.
She fumed: “If only they would stop and think, ‘How would I feel sat in my garden minding own business with a drone flying 20 feet above my head?’
“It could be four or five. I don’t think they would cope with it either.”
“I was walking the dog and talking to one of my neighbours, when I saw this lady looking through my letterbox.
“I said, ‘Are looking for somebody? Can I help you?’ They said, ‘I’m just looking.’
“I replied, ‘People live here.’ They said, ‘Oh, do they?’”
Another problem, the resident noted, is younger people using “suction cups” to attach their phones to his windows in order for them to take a photo of themselves.
“They think it’s part of the set of Disneyland,” one anonymous local seethed.
Jean Boucher, 86, a retired teacher, says she does not have much trouble with visitors, as her house is raised above the main street.
But she added: “The whole world is full of tourists being a nuisance.
“There are more people travelling, I suppose, and people are obsessed with photographing everything now.”
The Sun Online has reached out to Wiltshire Council for comment.
AlamyA woman poses for a photo in the village[/caption]
Getty – ContributorCastle Combe during the Winter months[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
