Disneyfication of world's most beautiful village: The Bibury residents sick of living in Cotswolds 'theme park' where 20,000 daily tourists are 'loving it to death' by setting up picnics in front gardens and even walking into homes

It has been hailed by Forbes magazine as the 'world's most beautiful village' - but there is growing unrest among the residents of sleepy Bibury that their once peaceful home has become more akin to a 'theme park'.

Fed-up villagers say they are being driven to despair by hordes of visitors who appear to believe their historic homes are part of a Disney-style attraction.

In one extraordinary incident, a family reportedly sat down for a picnic in the front garden of a cottage on the Cotswold village's famous Arlington Row.

Other tourists have allegedly walked straight into people's homes, peered through their windows and hammered on doors, while one visitor even pushed stones through a letterbox in an apparent attempt to provoke a reaction from the resident inside.

Locals say they are routinely photographed in their own living rooms, with visitors climbing over garden walls, opening gates and posing for selfies on private property.

And the situation has become so intolerable that at least one resident is now moving out.

All this misery is unfolding in a part of Gloucestershire where a small community of just 600 people are expected to live. 

Bibury has become a victim of its own success - a magnet for tourists from across the globe, with reports that as many as 20,000 visitors descend on it in a single day during peak periods.

But while the crowds flock to admire its honey-coloured cottages and idyllic countryside, those who actually live there say their village is being 'loved to death'.

Fed-up villagers in Bibury, Gloucestershire, say they are being driven to despair by hordes of visitors who appear to believe their historic homes are part of a Disney-style attraction. Pictured: One tourist standing in someone's doorway for a picture

Coach loads of tourists file into the tiny village everyday to see the picturesque views

When the Daily Mail visited on Sunday, one woman was spotted staging a Disney-style wedding photoshoot on Arlington Row

This is unfolding in a village of just 600 people which has become a magnet for tourists from across the globe, with reports suggesting as many as 20,000 visitors descend on it in a single day during peak periods

Michelle Follett-Holt, chair of a local heritage group, told the Daily Mail: 'Disneyfication is a term we regularly use in Bibury.

'People come from across the world and they genuinely believe the village is a theme park. There is a growing failure to distinguish between a picturesque tourist destination and a living, residential community.'

The village's popularity soared further after Forbes magazine named it the most beautiful village in the world last year.

Its famous Arlington Row, a collection of historic weavers' cottages, has become one of Britain's most photographed streets, attracting coachloads of visitors eager to capture the perfect Instagram picture.

But residents say the obsession with social media has created the impression that the village is a film set rather than somewhere people actually live.

When the Daily Mail visited on Sunday, one woman was spotted staging a Disney-style wedding photoshoot on Arlington Row.

Nearby, two young Indian men were filming a Bollywood-style video, with one appearing to emerge from a cottage as though it were his own home.

Local resident Philippa Curtis said: 'They think they're in a theme park rather than a real, living community. They are surprised that Arlington Row houses are actually lived in.'

She added: 'Bibury features extensively on social media. This of course is a very image-driven environment and the pictures used present and promote a very idealised (and quiet) version of Bibury. 

'All these sites and postings effectively result in Bibury being presented as something of a theme park.'

Steve Morton, who runs a local Facebook group dedicated to the village's tourism and traffic problems, said some visitors even assume residents are being paid to dress up and live in the cottages.

He told the Mail: 'Residents living in Arlington Row are often asked daft questions. My neighbour Brian Skarda - who is moving out due to tourists making his life a misery - is regularly asked 'how much do you get paid to work here?''

Enormous tourist coaches regularly clog the village's narrow lanes, with concerns that heavy vehicles are damaging its historic Swan Bridge

Residents say the obsession with social media has created the impression that the village is a film set rather than somewhere people actually live.

Steve Morton, who runs a local Facebook group dedicated to the village's tourism and traffic problems, said some visitors even assume residents are being paid to dress up and live in the cottages

One tourist takes a selfie on the bridge  as she takes in the beautiful views of the Cotswold village

Another resident said some visitors are left disappointed when they discover there is no attraction to explore beyond the famous cottages.

'It is true that too many tourists think Bibury is a National Trust village. In fact, TripAdvisor mistakenly said that. However the question many tourists expecting more of a Disney experience now ask residents, is 'Is this all there is?' so they are clearly disappointed. The phrase 'Bibury is being loved to death' is being used more and more.'

And it is not just residents' privacy that is suffering.

Last week, Bibury Parish Council announced plans to fence off sections of the River Coln after tourists spent the summer paddling, swimming and even setting up deckchairs in the water.

Visitors have also been accused of building makeshift dams, leaving food waste and dumping dirty nappies, prompting fears for the river's swans, ducks, fish and other wildlife.

Meanwhile, enormous tourist coaches regularly clog the village's narrow lanes, with concerns that heavy vehicles are damaging its historic Swan Bridge.

The ancient crossing has suffered deterioration and is now subject to weekly inspections, according to Ms Follett-Holt.

The growing crisis has left residents bitterly divided over how to save their village.

One proposal would see a huge car and coach park built on the outskirts of Bibury, allowing visitors to be ferried into the centre rather than bringing traffic through its narrow streets.

But opponents fear that creating more parking spaces would simply encourage even greater numbers of tourists to descend on the village.

The disagreement has already sparked a bitter row between residents and local businesses.

Angus Hay, who runs the popular Bibury Trout Farm, has been pushing for additional parking facilities and believes the village must accept that tourists are not going to disappear.

Mr Hay told the Mail: 'It's always been a very touristy village. It's not just a problem here. The whole country and the world has a problem with there being too many people. We would all agree that there are too many tourists here. It's just how it's managed safely and sensibly.'

Locals want coaches to be banned from entering the village altogether, arguing that many visitors spend just 20 to 30 minutes taking photographs before leaving without spending money in local businesses

Angus Hay, who runs the popular Bibury Trout Farm, has been pushing for additional parking facilities and believes the village must accept that tourists are not going to disappear

Mr Hay previously backed plans for a large car and coach park at Fiveways, around half a mile outside the village, but the proposal was withdrawn following fierce opposition. Pictured: Coaches crowding in the village

Locals are trying to stop the flow of tourists coming into the village. One proposal would see a huge car and coach park built on the outskirts of Bibury, allowing visitors to be ferried into the centre rather than bringing traffic through its narrow streets.

He added: 'Fewer tourists aren't going to come here. The tourists aren't going to go away. They need to be managed. Our position is that someone just needs to get on with organising the car parking properly.'

Mr Hay previously backed plans for a large car and coach park at Fiveways, around half a mile outside the village, but the proposal was withdrawn following fierce opposition.

He said the dispute had created an increasingly unpleasant atmosphere between neighbours.

'It creates this rift in the village. It feels like we are at loggerheads with others which is not nice. It is not a pleasant atmosphere all the time.'

But Ms Follett-Holt insists the answer is to restrict visitor numbers rather than accommodate more of them.

She said a previous application for a car and coach park attracted 196 objections, compared with just two comments in support.

A separate proposal for additional parking at the trout farm has also faced dozens of objections.

'On the surface people think the solution is to offer more parking, but it is an over tourism problem that cannot be solved with simply adding more parking. When you give it more thought and consideration it becomes clear- the parking needs to be restricted to control the access. 

'Nobody would open Wembley up to an unlimited number of people but that is exactly what is happening in our village.'

She believes coaches should be banned from entering the village altogether, arguing that many visitors spend just 20 to 30 minutes taking photographs before leaving without spending money in local businesses.

'Our highest priority is to prevent coaches coming into the village entirely. They bring no economic value to the village despite what they all say.

'Coaches arrive and depart within 30 minutes. It is purely a photo stop. They get a picture of Arlington Row, use the loos, and rarely have time for anything else.'

The parish council has now commissioned Oxford Brookes University to study how many tourists Bibury can realistically accommodate before deciding whether additional parking is needed.

But as Mr Morton concluded rather gloomily: 'The title 'world's most beautiful village' and being featured on UK Passports have created a monster that just doesn't have an easy solution.' 

HISTORY OF BIBURY 

Nestled on the banks of the River Coln in Gloucestershire, Bibury is one of the Cotswolds' oldest and most picturesque villages, with a history stretching back more than 1,000 years.

The village dates to Saxon times, with its historic St Mary's Church believed to have been established before 899AD. Bibury was later recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name Becheberie.

During the Middle Ages, the village prospered through the wool trade, with sheep grazing the surrounding Cotswold hills and local mills producing cloth for export across Europe.

Its most famous landmark, Arlington Row, was originally built around 1380 as a monastic wool store before being converted into weavers' cottages in the 17th century.

The honey-coloured limestone cottages are now owned by the National Trust.

Nearby Rack Isle, now a protected water meadow, was once used to dry woollen cloth on wooden racks, while Arlington Mill processed the fabric.

Bibury's reputation as a beauty spot grew during the Victorian era, particularly after celebrated artist and designer William Morris described it as 'the most beautiful village in England'.