Residents of the beautiful village used to film The Holiday and Bridget Jones’s Diary are totally fed up with tourists – to the point where they’re planning to start charging them.
The Christmas season brings with it hordes of film fans to Shere in Surrey, blocking up the streets and leaving locals furious.
Parish council members are now reportedly planning to bring in parking fees in an effort to stem the tide as tensions between locals and tourists boil over.
The beautiful village, found between Dorking and Guildford, is only a short trip from London, making it an even more attractive destination for fans of the films.
“The high level of tourists can often lead to the beauty of Shere being overlooked,” Stefan Makowski, 27, who grew up in the area, told Express.co.uk.
He added the streets also become rammed over summer with sightseers.
Younger people of the village are finding themselves pushed out as Airbnbs and other holiday rentals take up more and more of the properties in the area.
One local resident, who did not want to be named, told the Sun: “We’ve lived in the village for 18 years and the parking and traffic situation has got worse and worse.
“It’s become so bad now that we want to move, which is such a shame as it’s a beautiful village, with lots of lovely walks around it, but the invasion is just too much.”
They added they don’t even go out anymore, adding: “I’m sure there will be an accident soon.”
The concerned local said a fire engine recently struggled to get down the street due to the number of tourists.
Another said: “Parking has become a huge issue in the village and it’s a real problem when I have visitors.
“The Holiday movie is great for the pubs and businesses as it brings in crowds and money, but it’s not good for locals trying to get out and about to the shops and the school.”
Locals report visitors come from all over the world, “including America, Canada and even Australia.”
The parish council is also considering adding a charge to use public toilets in a further effort to make it less attractive a tourist destination.
The council is in an adjudication process with Shere Recreation Ground Trustees, who own the village car park.
A decision is expected to be made on November 15.
A wedding scene in Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason was filmed outside one of the churches in the village in a picturesque winter ceremony complete with snow.
And The Holiday is rumoured to be soon getting a sequel, which will only worsen things for residents of Shere if film crews find themselves back in the area once more.
