Locals say "nightmare tourists" have turned a West Country town into "hell on earth". Residents of St Ives in Cornwall say mass tourism during the summer causes big problems as holidaymakers inundate the popular seaside destination, Cornwall Live reports.
According to A1 Cars' Andrew Ward, the summer season means a lot of additional traffic and mile-long queues snaking into the area. He says the disruption makes it difficult for local people to get around.
Speaking to The Express on whether he believes 2023 would be any different, Mr Ward said: "Well, basically it's the same every year so it won't be any busier this year than it is normally. The locals can't even move their own cars and the traffic gets horrendous. You only need to look at the chaos by Truro.
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"The whole of this end of Cornwall around Hale and down to Penzance can be a real nightmare with queuing traffic. We need the tourists, that's the only problem... a lot of the locals would prefer fewer tourists."
Mr Ward's comments came days after a beach in St Ives was branded "hideous and overcrowded". One of the beaches was slammed by irate users on TripAdvisor who weren't pleased with what they found.
One user, who went by the name Philip H said the water was too cold and the beach had the wrong type of sand. He wrote: "Very cold water. We visited the beach yesterday. We had to walk ages to the sea because the tide was out and when we got there it was freezing and very windy."
Philip H added: "The sand was awful as it is the wrong sort of sand and very sticky. It got everywhere and I'm still finding bits today! Won't be back next year."
Another user, known as WendyAH8 said: "Hideous, overcrowded, noisy, covered in litter. Why would anyone with any sense want to go to this place which is hell on earth?
"Crowded, noisy, nothing to eat but bad fish and chips and Cornish pasties, and the beach packed full of the morbidly obese, screaming sunburnt children in buggies and people with tattoos.
"The place to go to see parenting at its worst and cardiovascular disease waiting to happen."
