Notting Hill residents sick of hordes of influencers congregating outside their properties are painting over their brightly coloured houses to put off the crowds.
Londoners living metres away from the world-famous Portobello Road say they are constantly having to put up with tourists taking pictures outside their homes that are loved for their bright exteriors.
Thousands of people pose on their doorsteps each year, leaving mountains of rubbish and even at times trying to access their homes, residents say.
In one brightly coloured street, often mistaken for where the Richard Curtis film Notting Hill was filmed, neighbours frequently find people climbing on their railings to pose for photos and, in extreme cases, even trying to gain access to the inside of their properties.
Residents living at a formerly bubblegum pink home and a blue terrace house on the road have now painted the properties black as the colour “doesn’t look as good on Instagram”. Another has painted the doorway and bottom half of their property the same dark hue to put off infuencers.
They have started a campaign to try and get other colourful properties on their street to follow suit.
In a letter sent to neighbours, the residents explained: “It’s clear that the bright and contrasting house colours are a major draw for photographs for their social media accounts.
“While we all value the charm of our street, the unintended consequence has been a surge in disruptive tourism.”
One neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the Standard: “It’s really invasive overtourism for no reason at all. We are not a museum.
“It happened during lockdown. This street has always had colours, but we have never had a problem. We must have come out on some influencer list somewhere. Everybody, like sheep, followed.
“Every 30 seconds there is a new group. You can’t ask people to stop, you’d be out there all day asking people not to leave trash or to be quiet.
“There are a lot of us who work from home. It’s really hard to work because of the noise. We’re constantly picking up trash.
“People just don’t understand that these are homes. It’s not a museum, it’s not an amusement park, it’s not a restaurant, these aren’t hotels.
“We don’t have the facilities to cater for mass tourism. It’s just a residential street. There are homes like this all over west London. I don’t know why they come to this specific spot.”
Serveral homes have installed chains and ropes to try and block people from posing on their stairs.
A ‘quiet zone’ sign has also been put up on the street asking people to be considerate of residents.
Asked if they had a message for tourists, one neighbour near Portobello Road told the Standard that tourists should “have some originality” and try and find some more unusual places to take pictures.
They added: “Our message is that London has amazing stuff to go and see. There are amazing museums, amazing parks, and places that cater for tourism. This is just a residential street where people are trying to live their lives.”
So far neighbours say they are getting more peace and quiet since the homes were repainted, but that they are still having to put up with major disruption as colourful houses remain on the street.
Neighbours have also complained of having to push past as many as 150 people to take their shopping bags into their homes.
There are stories of influencers turning up on the Notting Hill street with suitcases, filled with up to six outfit changes, and spending the day taking pictures on doorsteps.
In another case someone set off smoke flares in the street in a bid to get the perfect photograph and video for their Instagram or TikTok account.
Influencers have also been spotted putting up tents outside homes so they can change outfits and take more pictures.
In one extreme case, a “pornographic photoshoot” was even filmed on the street, one neighbour complained.
Its left residents celebrating if it’s raining, as it means there won’t be large groups of tourists gathering outside their homes.
“People are not conscious or aware that there are humans living in these houses trying to live their lives,” one Notting Hill resident added.
“It’s incredibly disruptive. It’s been horrendous.
“We’re actually trying to get the whole street to change colour. We’ve started a petition. Eventually, I think it will change. This colour doesn’t look as good on Instagram so we’re trying to change the whole street.”
Neighbours agree that there has been a spike in visitors in recent years.
Some blame videos going viral on TikTok, others point to the fact that the street was listed as a tourist attraction on Google and Apple Maps, while others think it has somehow ended up being promoted to influencers.
A resident, who has changed the colour of their home due to the issue, told the Standard that busloads of vistors have started to be dropped off in the Portobello Road area.
The neighbour, who has lived on the street for over 20 years, explained: “People on the street have really struggled to rent [out their homes] because people come to their houses and see 200 people outside.
“You can not even walk down the street. You can not get past people. People tut at you and are rude if you try and get into your own house.
“I’ve even had things stolen from my car. It’s just become a nightmare… When you’re sitting in your living room it sounds like Oxford Street.”
The neighbour also pointed out that the road is “not just a load of rich tw*ts” but is made up of residents who have lived in the area for 50 years, as well as council tenants who may not be able to move out of the area.
Another Notting Hill resident, who has also painted their home black, explained that they had people posing outside from “7am to after dark”.
They said they “sadly obliged” when a neighbour asked them to change the colour of their home after facing constant rudeness, with some tourists asking them to go back inside so as not spoil their photo.
The neighbour explained that the rest of the street is looking at repainting their colourful homes later this year.
They said that since they changed the colour of their home they have had far fewer people taking pictures outside their address.
“We hope to go back to colour eventually,” they added. “We would have loved to keep the colour of our home. We painted it [in the first place].”
The problem is also not unique to the area around Portobello Road. Just over a mile away, retired entrepreneur Peter Lee has also had tourists posing outside his home for years.
The 80-year-old’s property was named as one of the most extraordinary houses in the world by Vogue Magazine and was on the cover of one of their Australian editions.
So many people have taken pictures on his doorstep over the years that his tiles have become cracked, which he believes is partially to do with the number of woman posing in high heels outside.
Mr Lee explained that repainting his home could lead to an influx in tourists.
He told the Standard: “I’m having the house painted at the moment. It’s looking good but I’m a bit worried it’s going to encourage people to stand on my steps even more.
“That’s how it is living around here. Influencers come when it’s sunny. I don’t keep count but you get days where it tends to get a bit busy.”
