Cotswold tourists asked to use 'smaller vehicles'

Some people in a parish council meeting said they felt a coach trial was going "moderately well but needed tweaking"

A county council leader has asked tourists to use "a smaller vehicle" when visiting a village once dubbed the most beautiful in England by poet William Morris.

Bibury Parish Council has asked Gloucestershire County Council to act on problems caused by coaches bringing hundreds of visitors into the village every week.

The Cotswolds village has about 600 residents but can attract up to 20,000 tourists in a single weekend in the summer.

After a trial to reduce the number of coaches in Bibury started in May, Lisa Spivey, county council leader, said the authority is "committed to finding a solution".

Restrictions on coaches entering the village were introduced in May, with parking bays in the centre of the village closed and new public bus stop clearways installed.

Gloucestershire County Council said the clearways were installed for safer passenger drop-off and pick-up and to reduce the risk of crashes caused by "unsafe coach manoeuvres".

At a parish council meeting in July, councillor Brian Skarda and parking working group members Craig Chapman and Mark Honeyball said they felt the trial was working "moderately well but needed tweaking".

Mr Chapman said: "Bibury is not anti-tourist... it's mainly the mechanisms to bring tourists here and the issue is with the larger coaches."

Some residents fear their house prices are dropping due to the number of tourists

But Mr Chapman told the BBC the trial drop off bays "are not being adhered to" as parking officers cannot be in the village for constant periods of time.

He added: "For me, the solution is that we move towards the county council's strategy of going towards mini coaches."

Ms Spivey said: "The trial operating in the village allows for the drop-off and pick-up of passengers by coaches and has been supported by a significant increase in parking enforcement.

"This trial has been tweaked and improved throughout its operation as a result of our engagement work, and we will continue to work with all interested parties to resolve this issue.

"The Cotswolds, and Gloucestershire as a whole has many, many fantastic places to visit and we'd encourage visitors to check out the offering in other parts of the county, and that if Bibury is on your list, to visit in a smaller vehicle more suited to the historic narrow streets."

The working group, composed of Gloucestershire County Council, Cotswold District Council, the police and Bibury Parish Council, recommended the following long-term plans:

• Exploring opportunities to prevent coaches stopping and parking

• Installing clear signage to manage traffic efficiently and directing coaches away from narrow roads

• Encouraging walking and cycling, minibus and public transportation

• Looking at potential areas outside Bibury for coach parking