Residents living in a pretty little Cotswolds village are up in the arms as they say footfall has reached a "tipping point". Constantly named one of the most beautiful in the UK, the village of Bibury in the Cotswolds is a popular tourist destination.
While around 600 people live in this quaint village, the tourist spot witnesses tourists numbers of up to 20,000 in a single weekend, it has been reported. Upset with the large number of tourists thronging the village, the residents and the local council are now looking for ways to deal with overtourism.
They are now exploring ways to mitigate the impact on the village which contains numerous listed buildings, reports BBC.
Councillor Michelle Holt, a Bibury Parish Council, said: "The sheer volume is just overwhelming for the local community and we just don't have the infrastructure to cope."
Ms Holt said the situation has now reached a tipping point and action was needed.
According to the residents, when the existing bays are full, coaches unload wherever there is enough space nearby—prompting safety concerns as narrow pavements become blocked and pedestrians are forced to walk in the road.
Even the village’s roads are sometimes not wide enough for two coaches to pass each other, which causes a gridlock.
Craig Chapman, chairman of Bibury Parish Council, said: "Disruption to the heart of the village is exacerbated by the coaches.
"In the height of tourist season it can take half an hour for a resident to get from one side of the village to the other. No ones looking at banning coaches - what we're looking at doing is restricting their activities and movements
"The first thing is preventing stopping in the village around the Swan Bridge - which is a single track bridge and fundamental to the village's wellbeing. It's as unsafe to drop off in these areas as it is to park, so longer term action is to prevent dropping off."