LOCALS living in a picturesque beach town say they love it but it’s being ruined by thousands of tourists flocking to the attractions.
Residents in Eastbourne, Sussex, have been subject to change in recent years with the area having to rely heavily on visitors for money.
With business owners struggling to recover ever since Covid, many are welcoming the influx of holidaymakers.
But some homeowners say there’s “too many” and they don’t like heading to the beach anymore.
Debbie Milnes, 36, has lived in Eastbourne all her life and said there’s more tourists now than ever.
The carer told The Sun Online: “[There’s] too many.
“Everywhere you go, they are there. About 100 of them at a time.
“You can’t get through the town for them all.
“I don’t really go to the beach anymore and I live on the seafront.”
However, those welcoming tourists say the town needs them to survive.
Former Royal Navy submariner Rick Card, 77, said summer is when the area thrives.
He said: “After Covid, people need to make money. The town needs all the tourists it can get.
“The biggest pull is the airshow. The town is packed with people then and it always needs a clean-up after, but it hasn’t seemed to be that busy even during the airshow now.
“Everyone works hard for their money here and there’s nothing in the winter.”
Mark Donald, 49, runs a bucket and spade shop on the seafront.
He said visitors are needed and they are very good at cleaning up after themselves.
He added: “People generally clean up after themselves and the ones that don’t, the seagulls do it for them.
“It is a lovely place for people to visit. They obviously come here for a reason!”
Linda Manly, 70, retired from her job in the NHS and moved to the seaside town last year.
She said: “I used to come here for holidays and decided it would be a lovely place to retire to.
“I don’t think it’s changed much since I was girl coming here on holiday with my parents.
“I moved from Enfield and I love it. The tourists bring in money and life to the area.
“Eastbourne still needs a lot of work and there are a lot of empty shopfronts still.
“I want to see even more people here.”
Claire Manthrope, 52, used to own a shop on the beachfront and said tourists are needed to keep the place going.
She added: “If you haven’t got the tourists in a place like this, it’s not going to survive.
“They bring the money in. The beach is lovely.
“I used to have a shop in town and you need tourists to keep the place going.
“The south east coast has so much to offer and it really needs the tourists.”
