River in 'world's most beautiful village' to be fenced off from tourists amid fears hordes of summer paddlers harming wildlife

A river in the 'world's most beautiful village' is set to be fenced off to stop hordes of tourists from paddling in the water and leaving rubbish, following fears it's harming the wildlife.

Thousands of visitors descended on Bibury, a picturesque Cotswolds village, over the summer, with many heading to the River Coln to enjoy the water to cool off. 

Fed-up locals have previously said they no longer venture into their village, which can see up to 20,000 visitors a day in peak times, because it is swamped by tourists and coaches. 

Huge numbers of visitors flock to the village, home to about 600 people, due to its famous 17th-century weavers' cottages, which have featured in films like Stardust and Bridget Jones's Diary.

It was originally made famous by textile designer and writer William Morris, who described it as 'the most beautiful village in England' in the 19th century.

However, many locals say the number of visiting coaches is becoming unsustainable, with its narrow country lane causing dangerous traffic gridlock and prompting parking disputes.

Now councillors have raised concerns about the number of tourists entering the River Coln that runs through the village and is crossed by the historic stone Swan Bridge.

The amount of rubbish, including bottles and coffee cups, left floating in the river has also been described by residents as 'unbelievable'.

The sheer volume of people is said to have caused a number of issues for wildlife in the area, prompting Bibury Parish Council to take drastic action. 

Craig Chapman, chair of Bibury Parish Council, said the authority had now approved new fences to protect the water's swans, ducks, voles and fish.

He said over recent months tourists had been 'doing what they want' in the village.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: 'In the hot weather over the summer tourists were sitting on the riverbank with their feet in the river, walking in the river and even setting up tables and chairs in the river.

'That's highly detrimental to the wildlife.'

Mr Chapman described fencing areas off as a 'drastic measure' and said it is 'absolutely not what we want to do'.

'It seems it's what we have to do to protect the environment around the River Coln,' he said. 

Kris Watts, 71, says life in picture-postcard Bibury has become increasingly difficult as visitors flock to the village 

She said: 'We’ve had people paddling in the river, which is a protected site because we've got water voles.

 'You just think - for goodness sake.'

Gloucestershire County Council has introduced trial coach drop-off points in an attempt to tackle congestion, but residents claim some drivers are still stopping elsewhere in the village.

Ms Watts, who has lived there for 10 years, said: 'I don't go into the village at weekends now, it's that bad.

'We knew it was a touristy village when we moved here, but since covid it's just got worse and worse.

'A big part of it is social media influencers advertising how beautiful the village is.'

Victoria Summerley, 70, who has lived in Bibury for 14 years, added: 'The Coln River is a trout stream. It's supposed to be a really clean river.

'The amount of litter that ends up in the river in terms of drinks, bottles, coffee cups and so on, just unbelievable,' she added.

The increase in visitors is partly driven by so-called influencers promoting the tiny village.

Locals also complain of tourists walking through their homes and enjoying picnics in their gardens, with some having put up 'private, no entry' signs translated into Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

It has caused such frustration for Brian Skarda, a parish councillor in nearby Cirencester, who wrote in the village newsletter that he and his wife, Jill, were leaving after 14 years.

He said they put up with 'door banging, window peeping and general interference in our private lives' from swathes of tourists coming off coaches.

Earlier this month, Mr Skarda said: 'More inconsiderate and the sheer numbers of tourists this year have meant that, on occasions, we have virtually been unable to get out of our front door or move our car along the row.

'This is a beautiful village and, sadly, it is being ruined by the very people who come to see it,' he said.

Ms Summerley told The Times she suspects the couple are leaving after 'a hand came through the letterbox holding a phone so they could film inside.'

Speaking of her own experience, she said she once sprayed an 'entitled' driver with her hose through his window because he was blocking the drive while waiting for visitors. 

'I sprayed him through the window and he burst into tears... His attitude was so offensive I thought it would teach him a lesson,' she said. 

Frustrated owners of gorgeous stone cottages claim that coaches stop in the middle of the road to dump tourists outside of their doors.

They then line up and take photographs outside of people's homes before moving on.

Claire Perrin, 64, said: 'It's crazy and we just feel like it's not going to change because it's the age of Instagram. It makes you question staying here.'  

Japanese tourists have also flocked to Bibury after the future Emperor Hirohito, then the Crown Prince, visited in 1921 and called it 'one of the happiest' times of his life.

There has also been a surge in middle-class Chinese tourists who say they've travelled across the world after seeing Bibury posted on Chinese Instagram.

The parish council wants there to be a limit on the huge daily coaches that come in, but locals don't have much hope for any regulation.

Last year, Bibury villagers called for action and formed a working group that included councillors and the police, which saw Gloucestershire County Council announce plans to tackle the problem.

A trial scheme was implemented in May 2025, which temporarily closed existing coach bays and created designated, safer drop-off and pick-up points for coaches.

But the plans have not been permanently implemented since the trial, with the county council holding formal public consultations over the future of the restrictions in place.

In 2025, Bibury topped the list of Forbes Magazine’s 50 most beautiful villages in the world, boosting tourist visits even further.