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LAKE DISTRESS
We live in UK’s most beautiful place but it becomes mini-Blackpool at night… druggies swarm & we’ve padlocked our bins
A TOURIST looks up from her cream tea as a packed cruise boat docks at a jetty on the shore of Lake Windermere.
Japanese visitors carrying Peter Rabbit goodies are among the thousands of tourists and walkers crammed into the picturesque Lake District resort.
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But fed up residents claim too many tourists are blighting the quaint village of Bowness-on-Windermere bringing litter, traffic and anti-social behaviour.
They have complained that soiled nappies have been left on the beach and bags of dog poo hang from trees, while drunk yobs urinate in the street.
And The Sun can reveal it’s not just tourists flocking to the village on the shore of England's biggest lake.
Manchester drug dealers have also come to serve stag and hen dos and rowdy Airbnb parties with cocaine and ecstasy.
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One councillor claimed Bowness has been turned into a “mini-Blackpool”.
Late-night fights have broken out, with a drunk man in a Batman costume recently seen brawling in the street.
Parish councillor Christine Cook, 67, said: “It's like a mini-Blackpool these days with the hen and stag dos.
"They can go out on boat trips on the lake and enjoy all the pubs and live music. There is a lot to entertain them.
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"But Blackpool is all geared up for it and we're not.
"I saw a group of girls all dressed up in black dresses and purple wigs recently - and then you get them all dressed up in bride and fairy costumes.
"It looks funny in the early evening but it turns into something else at night."
The retired civil servant added: "We've had a real problem with wild camping this summer.
"People just pitch up by the lakeside for a few days and then leave barbecues, bottles and even their tents."
It's like a mini-Blackpool these days with the hen and stag dos
Christine Cook
Former Bowness mayor Adrian Legge said: "You get rival stag dos clashing at night.
"The appalling behaviour of a small minority is ruining it for everyone.
"It's become a real party place, packed with pubs and bars which are just too many for a small place."
The Falklands War naval veteran added: "We love visitors but we have called on the council time and time again to get more bins and to stop handing out alcohol licences.
"We need better infrastructure for the amount of people who come to visit us."
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Further up the lake there are similar complaints in the village of Ambleside.
Former MasterChef star Ryan Blackburn, 43, runs the Michelin-starred Old Stamp House there, and admits he’s had to install padlocks on his bins as people have dumped rubbish.
The dad-of-two said his young staff “get loads of abuse” from people urinating in his restaurant’s backyard.
Meanwhile he can longer afford to live in the Lakes due to Airbnbs pushing up prices.
The appalling behaviour of a small minority is ruining it for everyone
Adrian Legge
Ryan told The Sun: "A number of very specific issues such as poor transport infrastructure, the lack of parking, public toilets, public bins and poorly maintained roads detract from the experience for both residents and visitors.
"Until we begin to address these issues we can’t celebrate the many positive benefits that tourism can and does bring to the area."
Up to 40 million tourists visit the Unesco-listed Lake District every year.
Chinese and Japanese tourists come to see the home and museum of Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter.
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Bowness itself is one of the main tourist centres full of tea shops, restaurants and pubs.
More Airbnbs have opened to help cope with the demand but this caused housing problems for locals.
Barmaid Fiona Wilkinson, 50, works at the Hole in t'Wall pub which dates back to 1612, where celebrated author Charles Dickens enjoyed a pint.
She said: "Local workers can't afford to come and rent here as prices have been driven up by Airbnbs.
"One of our staff had to get a car as she comes all the way from Barrow.
"Our quaint village can't cope with this amount of tourists - it turns into a city when we have so many of them.
"The council put up the cost of using public toilets from 50p to £1, so when people get drunk they use the park or side streets.
"The sewage system can't cope with this amount of visitors and it gets pumped into the lake."
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Welder Colin Babb, 62, was one of those visitors this weekend after bringing his family from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Looking around at the heaving crowds, Colin said: "We were just saying that there are too many tourists here.
"You can't move as there seems to be more than other times we've visited. But I'm one of those tourists so I can't really complain.
"It's a beautiful area with the lake - we'll come back again."
There have been concerns over the quality of the water in Lake Windermere.
Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan, as well as fellow TV comics Paul Whitehouse and Lee Mack, recently joined a campaign to protest against pollution in Lake Windermere.
Last year there were 246 days when sewage was discharged into the lake from storm overflows.
The lake is used by wild swimmers, sailors and legions of paddle boarders.
Litter and discarded plastic bottles could clearly be seen by the shore when The Sun visited, as well as a large rat just yards from tourists.
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A Westmorland and Furness Council spokesperson said the council "is very proud that our communities are popular with visitors and work hard to balance welcoming visitors safely and sustainably with the wellbeing of residents".
They added: "Our focus is always on working with residents and businesses to make Westmorland and Furness a great place to live, work and thrive.
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"When visitor numbers increased after the first Covid lockdown we increased the frequency of litter bin emptying in tourist hotspots to up to six times daily, as well as installing additional litter bins in busy areas.
"We encourage visitors to take personal responsibility and behave with respect towards local communities."
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