Our beautiful village is becoming a ghost town – locals are being forced out and it’s overrun with tourists

FURIOUS locals have slammed greedy tourists for traffic chaos and overcrowding - now they have to leave town to buy everyday essentials.

Mousehole, in Cornwall, is the perfect idyllic staycation spot - but an influx of Airbnbs has wreaked havoc on the small fishing village.

Rising visitor numbers have left locals with nowhere to park, or even buy everyday essentials after the village shop and post office were forced to close down.

They were disposed of to make way for more houses and cafes for tourists - leaving residents furious.

Locals say many properties in the village are now mostly empty, being used as second homes and holiday lets.

A narrow road through the harbour - originally designed for horse and cart - has become a traffic nightmare and safety concern.

In the summer months it can no longer cope with the thousands of tourists who flock to the beauty spot.

Deputy harbourmaster Bill Johnson spoke to about the ongoing battle.

He said: "Mousehole is no longer a working harbour, it's a resort.

"Pedestrianisation will never work. We have one of the best bus services in the county, which could be affected.

"People who stay in holiday lets often bring two cars with them - how will they get to where they're staying?"

He also pointed out the closure of Mousehole's village shop means visitors will need a car to pick up shopping or buy every-day items.

His harbourmaster, Royden Paynter, agreed and complained about the lack of amenities left for local people since tourists took over the area.

"People ain't prepared to go the four-mile trip around Mousehole. Income from parking runs the harbour. I do know it's a nightmare in the summer though," he explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised to find that 80 per cent of the properties here are second homes and holiday lets.

"It's become a retirement and holiday place really.

"Some of the houses are a ridiculous price to stay in. There's one place that's basically two garden sheds, which is £4,000 a week."

He was disappointed about the closure of the local shop and post office - which made way for cafes, galleries and delis for tourists.

"It will never go back to what it was before - it's not going to be quiet anymore. Mousehole is one of the busiest places to visit in Cornwall now, but it still has a sense of community," he added.

But Thalia Marrington, councillor for the area, said she is desperate to ease traffic congestion.

She said: "One of the things I was elected on was the traffic and parking issue - sometimes you have to be a bit radical. 

"Penzance businesses were a bit nervous when the town centre was pedestrianised, but it's worked.

"If you say 'pedestrianisation' it splits opinion, but it's a feasibility study at this stage. We'll come back to the village with any decisions."

Another resident, Flick White, moved back to Mousehole when she was 26 and works a local art gallery.

She has mixed opinions about the increasing tourism, while she believes an influx of younger people joining the community is positive - she agrees holiday homes have become and issue.

"The village shop and post office has gone, Janners fish and chip shop has gone and is now a house," she explained.

"We don't need another gift shop. You can go to a deli and spend quite a lot, but I worry there isn't anywhere where villagers can buy everyday shopping, especially now times are difficult.

"We could do with more people in their 20s starting businesses like the new vegan café.

"I've got friends who cannot find a home to live in yet there are homes here that are only being visited three times a year, if that."

One spot which attracts both tourists and locals is The Solomon Browne Hall, managed by Sarah De'Lacy and Tamsin Harvey.

Sarah explained second homes are always a topic up for debate, she said: "A lot of the properties are only visited twice a year, when they could be home to people contributing to life in the village.

"A lot of people want to see fewer cars, and there's also a massive issue with parking. It really has split opinion."

But Sarah claimed there's a misconception about lack of parking and encouraged both locals and tourists to take advantage of a "great bus service" that runs every 25 minutes.

And not everyone who lives in Mousehole is disappointed by tourism.

Caleb and Terri Munday run the Mousehole Deli & Kitchen, and welcome new younger families to the area.

Terri said: "It seems like more people are moving to the village, which is nice.";

This comes as other quaint villages across the UK experience similar issues with tourists.

Withernsea in East Yorkshire is a popular seaside resort in the summer as families flock to the sandy beaches for the school holidays.

But outside of the holidays, locals have branded their village a "ghost town", ravaged by a cost of living crisis that has left hundreds dependent on emergency food parcels.

It's seen hundreds more households signed up to a community scheme to pick up supermarket food at knock-down prices.