Locals have slammed ‘self-entitled’ tourists who they claim are ruining their quiet seaside towns by dumping litter and treating their beaches as car parks.
Residents living close to tourist hotspots including Cornwall, North Wales and West Sussex are growing increasingly frustrated at ‘rude’ visitors who snubbing paid car parks and instead choosing to park for free on beaches.
It has been a summer full of rescues for local authorities who have been frequently called out to help tourists drag their cars out of the sea and sand.
The latest in a long list of incidents came over the weekend, when three 4x4s decided to park on a secluded beach in Anglesey, sparking fury from locals who branded them ‘selfish’ and ‘inconsiderate’.
Just one week earlier, a car found itself completely submerged underwater at East Beach in Selsey, West Sussex, after it slid down a ‘very slippery’ dive ramp.
In Anglesey, locals blasted tourists for treating a secluded beach as a car park as three 4x4s parked up and had a BBQ – leaving their rubbish behind at the beauty spot afterwards
A car submerged in water in Selsey, West Sussex after it was left at the beach
A motorist breaks down at The Strood, West Mersea as paddle boarders embrace the high tide
Visitors are being warned not to park on beaches due to the increasing number of incidents.
An electric car was spotted surrounded by seawater in New Quay, Cornwall last month.
The spot where the car had parked was previously used as a car park with opening times governed by the tide. However, recently the harbour has been closed and signs at the entrance warn motorists not leave cars there.
READ MORE: Holidaymakers are slammed after car ends up in Cornish river and others park on sandy beac
A Mercedes SUV had got stuck in the same place a week earlier, mistaking the area for free parking. The car’s front two wheels were buried deep in the sand and it was facing towards the exit ramp.
Locals have set-up a Facebook group called ‘Utterly Preposterous Parking in Cornwall’ to document the parking blunders of tourists.
Those parking up on an Anglesey beach were seen to park up and have a BBQ on idyllic beach, before leaving their rubbish behind for someone else to deal with.
‘I felt angry and upset – I’m not a fan of selfish, inconsiderate and self-entitled behaviour. I wouldn’t dream of driving onto a beach but it seems that some people think they can park wherever they want,’ one resident said.
Some locals have said they ‘can’t wait until winter’ when the beaches will be quieter and car-free.
Another resident added: ‘It is totally selfish to drive cars onto that beach. Clearly not appropriate but some people don’t care about others.’
In North Wales, a transit van left at Black Rock Sands in Porthmadog was engulfed by the tide, while a Land Rover was spotted under water on Abersoch beach.
An electric vehicle was photographed in Port Isaac after finding itself in an unfortunate situation
Three cars were left stranded in Newquay, Cornwall by ‘idiot’ tourists who parked up on the beach
A Holyhead coastguard said the owner was yet to come forward and claim the Land Rover following the blunder which saw it go about a metre under the water.
In a seperate incident at Towan Beach in Newquay, ‘idiot’ tourists were slammed after cars had to be rescued by lifeguards.
The beach is directly accessible to vehicles via a narrow lane, but drivers often do not realise this does not mean they are allowed to park on the sand – and should make use of nearby car parks instead.
Connor Duffy, 33, from Newquay, said: ‘Just shows common sense isn’t really that common.’