Our quaint village is RUINED after being overrun with screaming kids and stag dos…it is now so smelly I feel poorly
RESIDENTS have told how their quaint village has been ruined after it became overrun with screaming kids and stag dos.
Locals in Matlock Bath in Derbyshire say they feel poorly because of the smell of the tens of takeaways that have moved in to feed the hoards of tourists.
Only 800 people call this steep-sided village in the Derwent Valley their home, but in the holidays 10,000 people a day visit.
The town is largely dominated by Gulliver’s Kingdom, a children’s theme park that sits overlooking the village.
But locals say their idyllic village isn’t always paradise.
Matlock Bath’s high street is home to six fish and chip shops, several amusement arcades as well as eateries offering up Chinese and grilled meats.
Dan Nightingale, 40, says the smell is sometimes unbearable.
He told The Sun: “When I first moved here, the chip shop smells which rise up from below the house made me feel quite poorly.
“But when the grilled meats business is open and the Chinese…that can make me feel quite hungry.”
He moved in four years ago to renovate one of the homes between Gulliver’s Kingdom and the town below.
He said: “It can be a bit noisy. You can be having a nice, quiet afternoon in the garden and then suddenly you hear children screaming or a bit of music coming over.
“It’s not late at night. If we get noise at night it comes from the big house down the road which has been turned into a 20-room Airbnb.
“You get stag do’s, wedding parties, hen do’s and the noise can go on until 3am.
“But this is the UK’s oldest tourist town. It will be full of tourists. You know that when you move here.”
One homeowner, who didn’t want to be named, complained that he had to regularly confront tourists parking in his private street.
The 52-year-old property manager said: “This is not about Gulliver’s, their visitors park where they should but the place can get very busy and it can be a nightmare here with cars being parked up illegally and the police taking no action.
“They tell me they need to see the people leaving their cars to do anything about it but it’s not fair on us residents.
“In peak season, I have to get out early if I want to use the car to take the dogs for a walk and just accept that I won’t be going anywhere after that.”
Tourism has been a thing in Matlock Bath since the 17th Century when its spa waters were an attraction to the elite of the day.
It really took off in the 19th Century when the young Princess Victoria visited and the poet Lord Byron dubbed it “Little Switzerland”.
A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: “We would always encourage residents to get in touch with us if there are issues which would be covered by our enforcement powers.
“Our civil enforcement officers (CEOs) undertake regular patrols in the area, especially at weekends, bank holidays and during school holidays, to ensure people are parking responsibly and to help keep traffic moving.
“Our CEOs can issue penalty charge notices to vehicles parked in contravention of waiting restrictions i.e. single or double yellow lines, or overstays in limited waiting bays.
“Any issues relating to the availability of parking in the area would be for the district council to address, and, with regards to access-only roads, this would be for the police to take action where appropriate.”
Derbyshire Dales District Council refused to comment.