Villagers claim tourism causing 'chaos' in the Cotswolds

Pretty villages like Bourton-on-the-water can become very crowded in the summer

Residents living in some of the Cotswolds' prettiest villages have said overtourism is causing huge problems for them.

Villagers in Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury are suffering from a lack of parking, especially for coaches.

Bourton Parish Councillor Jon Wareing recently tabled a motion to get the council to accept that tourism is a problem for the village.

This was rejected by six votes to four, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service

“As the tourism season ramps up, the inconsiderate behaviour of coach drivers continues to be reported by residents and business owners,” he said.

“The free-for-all chaos that many of us anticipated on the issue of coaches arriving in a rural location with no managed facilities for coach parking provision and a village infrastructure ill-suited to this otherwise excellent mode of transport seems to be unfolding," he added.

Bourton has been without coach spaces in the villace centre since the Bourton Vale car park stopped taking coaches at the end of last year.

This means that coaches are parking on double yellow lines to drop off and pick up visitors.

Pulhams & Sons Coaches, based in the village, says that more than 238,000 people visited it by coach or large minibus in 2019.

Visitors often take up most of the on-street parking in Bibury

At a recent meeting in Bibury, residents also had similar complaints.

One told the meeting he was sworn at by coach drivers after asking them to move because they were blocking the road.

“Bibury is not built in any way for these large coaches, it’s just not the right place," he said.

“Some time there is going to be a serious accident. It’s a real issue. We are a real victim of over tourism and we are becoming the collateral damage and that is not right."

Bibury is home to Arlington Row, reportedly one of the most photographed locations in the Cotswolds.

In 2017, a yellow car was vandalised when it was left outside the houses, as it was blamed for "ruining" tourists' photos.

Another resident, Mark Honeyball, told the meeting he was physically assaulted by one visitor.

"The problems with parking and tourism in the village have quadrupled over the last five years," he said.