Castle Combe residents fume over Airbnb and drones 'invasion'

Castle Combe was recently dubbed the county’s most stylish village and has been lauded as one of the most beautiful locations in the UK in countless lists and polls.

The picturesque village is popular with tourists and has been used as a filming location for blockbusters such as Stephen Spielberg's War Horse.

But every year, tourists flock to the popular location in their thousands, leaving residents telling many to get off their land.

According to locals, the number of people who live in the village full-time has fallen in recent years, with houses being snapped up and used as second homes or Airbnbs.

Georgina Kingshott, a post-doctoral scientist, has lived in the village since 2016 after escaping London for a quieter life.

A no drone sign in Castle Combe (Image: SWNS)

The 44-year-old said tourists flock to the village in large numbers and set up camp like it is a day at the seaside.

She said: "In the hotter months people pitch up like it is the beach which can be a bit annoying.

"People will pitch up at one of the benches and be here all day.

"It is terrible because during lockdown it was great.”

Georgina says that tourists also invade her privacy by flying drones over her house.

"It feels very intrusive”, she added. “They are not supposed to do that and there are signs up and down.

"You will wander into the garden and hear the sound of a drone and think 'what is going on?'.

"It's nice for us as we have the gate stopping people from coming in, but sometimes people will pretend not to see it and sit on this side of the fence which they are not meant to.

Tourists in Castle Combe (Image: SWNS)

"I always feel a bit like 'get off my land'. It can be intrusive with people running up and down."

Anna Roberts, 60, has lived in the village for 20 years and runs a pop-up tearoom.

She welcomes the tourists as they boost trade but admitted the community feel has gone from the village over the years.

When she first moved to the area, she believes around 95 per cent of the village was filled with residents and now she claims it is around 50 per cent.

One resident claimed only 43 people actually live in the village.

Anna said: "There has been a lot of changes in the village over the years.

"As houses go up for sale, we are finding very few people who want to move in and live here.

"We have people who buy from abroad - they buy them as holiday homes, second homes and Airbnbs.

"That has been one of the saddest things as it has completely changed the community for those of us who still live here.”

The tearoom owner added that the village’s previous family feel has been lost, and that she would have moved away if not for her business.

She added: "At one time, we knew everyone who lived in every house. It was a very good community, a close community, and there was a real family feel.

"Now, unfortunately, those people who live here part-time or have it as a holiday home, they don't really get involved in things.

"It has become very different. Having the business is what keeps us here.

"It is a beautiful village and it's a lovely house but at the end of the day, it is a very tourist village. If I didn't run a business from here, we wouldn't want to stay here."