One of Britain’s beauty spots swamped by tourists is "crumbling" as iconic buildings are under threat. Birling Gap’s cottages and beaches, in East Sussex, have proven extremely popular as social media videos about it draw more and more people there.

Its appeal to South East Asian visitors has skyrocketed as a result of South Korean actress Seo Hyo-rim filming a Korean reality TV show on the coastal patch, and Taiwanese singer Jay Chou filming a music video there. “There are a lot of South East Asian visitors. It is very popular among that group of tourists,” said Rhys Webb, an ice-cream seller who trades in a local car park, reports the MailOnline.

Others say tourists harm the area’s plants and wildlife.

Walker Philip Dean, 72, said that tourists "don't stick to the pathways" and cause damage to the flora and fauna.

He said that it used to attract rare seabirds but the sheer number of visitors has scared them off, "probably for good.” He added that it is an "incredible site" but it can't support the amount of visitors it currently receives each year. 

Birling Gap is one of the areas of the UK worst affected by coastal erosion. Huge chunks of the cliff are falling away as campaigners, such as Dame Judi Dench, call for more sea defences.

A cafe had to be shut down in 2023 and part of it demolished as it found itself precariously close to the edge.

And only a mile along is Cuckmere Haven, home to famous coastguard cottages.

They are visited a lot by people from Japan, whose magazines advertising places to go to in Britain are adorned with photos of the buildings.

One nearby resident said that the houses are "iconic" but the sheer number of visitors flocking to see them is causing damage to the crumbling sea defences.

They recounted a time when a cottage owner had two women walk into her house and ask for two teas and a can of coke as they "thought it was a cafe.”