Village overrun by tourists considers ban on coaches

With its picturesque stone buildings, slow-moving river and welcoming pub, the charming village of Bibury is a well-known destination in the Cotswolds.

- ALEX ROSS

It is the home to just 700 people and artist William Morris described it as the most beautiful village in England”. But the village, most famous for its row of 17th-century cottages on Arlington Row, is facing a battle over a rise in tourism, with up to 20,000 visitors descending on weekends, and up to 50 coaches arriving daily.

Numbers have increased in recent years thanks to social media influencers promoting the village as a lazy get-away from major cities such as London.

Last year, residents said a lack of parking in the village had led to angry clashes, with one telling the BBC he had been being kicked in the stomach and punched in the face in one incident.

Now village leaders are working on a plan that could see coaches banned.