A SEASIDE village in Cornwall has become overrun with tourists and “arty-farty” shops that has driven away residents, claims one of the last remaining locals.
Annette Smith has lived in Mousehole since 1986 and has stayed loyal to her “happy place” – vowing to never leave the former fishing port despite the sad downfall she thinks has occurred in recent years.
The soon-to-be great-grandmother feels the influx of businesses catering to a more upper class shopper and the tourists who flock to the village has caused a big divide with locals.
It has even caused the population to drastically half in the last 50 years.
Annette says a lot of changes have happened in the five decades since she has lived in Mousehole.
She admits some have been positive but that plenty of negatives continue to plague the village to this day.
The loving grandmother told the Express: “There are too many arty-farty shops and gift shops. We’re inundated with them.
“If you’re just after an ordinary loaf of bread or a can of beans, you do have to go out of the village.
“We do need a little shop, especially for the elderly residents – they can’t even get a newspaper in the village nowadays.”
Despite the locals feeling let down by the lack of affordable and easy to access shops, Annette is proud of how much of the high street is still run by long-time locals.
One of the highlights for the locals is the range of harbourfront bistro restaurants with classically trained chefs at the helm.
Another huge issue Annette has with the village is it’s new-found reputation as a tourist hotspot.
She said: “What does annoy me are the holiday homes that are left empty for 11 months of the year. That’s just wrong.
“But we do need tourism – my partner does maintenance in holiday homes, and I’ve cleaned cottages in the past. And we need people to be eating in the restaurants.
“So I don’t have a problem with tourism – Mousehole has always been a holiday place… just not as manic as it is now. It’s just a shame the community has been diminished.”
Alongside her partner, Annette is a huge fan of reminiscing on the good days and taking her family on trips out to explore where she grew up.
She said: “I had a fantastic childhood here. It’s the best playground in the world.
“As kids, we couldn’t get out of the house early enough – and would be out all day, every day. We’d swim in the harbour – and back then you’d be swimming among poo and tampons – but nobody ever got ill.
“I’ll never leave Mousehole. I want to die here – I don’t care if I’m the only local left. This is my happy place, and I want to stay here until I pop off.”
Cornwall has been plagued by tourism woes in the past with it even being dubbed the “Ibiza of Britain” in recent years.
The rowdy hen and stag do hotspot became so bad that Cornwall Council was forced to implement a booze ban to prevent anti-social behaviour.
The ban on street drinking was rolled out in Newquay and is expected to stay until October 1, 2026.
It comes after locals in a seaside town dubbed the “Costa del Dole” claimed they weren’t surprised it was voted one of the worst in Britain.
And people living in a resort voted Britain’s finest coastal town fear it could come under threat from an influx of tourists and second home-owners.
