Coaches could soon be banned from a pretty village in the Cotswolds after fed-up locals complained that over-tourism is causing chaos.
Bibury was once described by 19th century wallpaper and textile designer William Morris as the ‘most beautiful village in England’ and draws tens of thousands of visitors every year.
It’s become particularly popular in recent years thanks, in part, to influencers sharing picturesque photos of the area online.
Local residents say the sheer number of people, as well as the coaches and cars most of them arrive in, is creating mayhem.
They claim pedestrians are at risk of being hit by the vehicles, coaches damage walls and street furniture, the roads are often congested and parking is a problem.
One local described it as the ‘Wild West’.
Their frustrations echo those living in several popular holiday spots abroad such as Spain, who have held several large anti over-tourism protests.
The Bibury villagers formed a working group, that included councillors and police, to tackle the issues and Gloucestershire County Council have now come up with a two-stage plan.
The first stage will involve changing the layout of parking bays to stop coaches from parking or waiting in the layby on the B4425, next to the Swan Bridge in the centre of the village.
As part of the second stage, the council will look at the possibility of introducing further restrictions on coach access to the village centre.
This would be dependent on the outcome of a legal consultation process that will start early summer.
The working group hope that coaches will be prevented from stopping and parking in Bibury completely.
It plans to explore areas outside the village where coaches could park and also wants to encourage tourists to use other ways to visit the area such as walking, cycling and regular public transport.
Bibury’s village’s parking working group chairman Mark Honeyball said the coaches have caused havoc:
He told the MailOnline: ‘They keep turning and turning and cause gridlock. Because of the turning, they have knocked down several residents’ walls, telegraph poles and bollards.
‘It’s like the Wild West. It really is. We’re not exaggerating.’
Councillor Stephen Davies, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: ‘We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Bibury residents and visitors.
‘The proposed measures will help manage traffic more effectively and enhance the overall experience for everyone.
‘We appreciate the community’s support and cooperation as we implement these changes.
‘We also understand that these proposals may not be popular with coach operators, however we are determined to work to find a solution for coach tourists to be able to visit Bibury but this will take time.
‘Therefore, we have attempted to find compromise solutions that offer outcomes which continue to welcome visitors in a managed way, whilst also addressing safety and congestion concerns of the village.’
Parish council chairman Craig Chapman, meanwhile, added: ‘Whilst the residents of Bibury acknowledge that we live in a lovely village, the pressures put on us by the sheer volume of tourists visiting and coaches bringing tourists has become intolerable and unacceptable.’
He added: ‘Whilst this is the start of action, it is very positive and I am confident it will be appreciated by the community.’
Coaches have already been stopped from entering the centre of nearby Bourton-on-the-Water, dubbed the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds.’
The village was also struggling with high tourist numbers, with parking and congestion a particular issue.
Not all locals were happy about the ban, however, fearing Bourton would become a ghost town.
Last year parish and district councillor Jon Wareing told the MailOnline Bourton was buckling under the weight of the rising number of tourists.
He said: ‘People can spend an hour in their car, driving around. Some of the ”difficult” behaviour that follows is because they get frustrated.
‘One of my neighbours asked this person not to park on his property and got threatened with violence. He said he knew where they lived if they did anything to his car and threatened to throw a brick through their window.’
Other residents complained of people breaking the 20mph speed limit and homes becoming too expensive to buy and rent due to an increasing number of outsiders buying property for holiday lets.
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In 2015, Bibury hit headlines after visitors and some neighbours complained that a local pensioner Peter Maddox, yellow car was ruining their photos of the village.
Two years later the Vauxhall Astra was even vandalised, with someone scratching ‘Move Freddie’ on the bonnet.
But in a show of support, 100 yellow car owners came together and drove their brightly coloured vehicles through the village
The parade happened in the same week Vauxhall said it would name their yellow colour after the pensioner.
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