Parking fines in the Cotswolds 'most beautiful' village rise by 2,000% to £45,000-a-year after being overrun by tourists

Published: 10:46, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 10:48, 6 August 2026 A Cotswolds village dubbed 'the most beautiful in the world' has seen a 2,000 per cent rise in parking fines – as locals complain the area has become overrun by tourists. Residents in Bibury, famous for its 14th-century honey-coloured stone cottages, are reporting 'major problems', with figures showing parking wardens dished out 651 notices in the village last year – up from 28 in 2019. Fines have been set at £70, reduced to £35 if paid within a fortnight, meaning tickets issued in 2025 could have generated up to £45,570 – equivalent to around £900 a week. This compares to the 28 fines given in 2019 generating £1,900. Community representative Craig Chapman said many visitors showed 'very little regard for villagers' – parking wherever they can, even if this meant blocking pavements or stopping on double yellow lines. Gloucestershire County Council has now stepped up its enforcement of fines in response to the complaints about overtourism in the Cirencester village. Mr Chapman argued tougher action was needed to keep routes open for ambulances and fire engines and to make sure pedestrians could walk safely through the centre of the village. However, the cost of sending wardens out frequently is estimated at around £4,000 a month, meaning income from fines alone does not cover the full bill for enforcement. Bibury is famous for its 14th-century honey-colored stone cottages once featured on the inside cover of British passports. Tourists can be seen here flocking to the area Community representative Craig Chapman said many visitors showed 'very little regard for villagers'. A line of cars is pictured making its way into the village Gloucestershire County Council has now stepped up its enforcement of fines in response to the complaints about tourism The county council is now planning to bring in pay-and-display parking for 24 on-street spaces along The Street, with proposed charges of £6 or £7 for two hours during the busy March to October period. The tariffs have been benchmarked against other high-visitor locations, and officials say they could bring in up to £218,880 a year, delivering a projected surplus of up to £360,680 over four years once enforcement costs are taken into account. Separately, a pedestrianised area in the middle of Bibury – previously used for coach parking – is to be made permanent, with temporary barriers replaced by structures designed to fit better with the historic setting. A focus group is also examining options for out-of-village parking to ease pressure on residents' driveways and the village's tight road network, amid a wider £175,000 investment package aimed at managing visitor numbers and congestion. The council said the figures in the latest report are 'absolute maximums' – and fines are reduced if paid quicker or appealed. Lisa Spivey, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: 'We're very lucky here in Gloucestershire that we have so many beautiful Cotswold towns and villages that attract visitors. 'We want to ensure that the community in Bibury is well supported from those who want to manage tourism to businesses that rely on the income to those that want to have a wonderful day out. 'The village receives a huge number of visitors which had led to congestion issues. The council has taken a proactive enforcement approach to ensure both residents and visitors can enjoy the village. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Residents living on Britain's 'prettiest street' in Bibury are fed up with multiple foreign buyers 'ruining' their rural lifestyles Pictured: Metin Dener sporting a sleek black suit, sitting beside his wife Gulbin, dressed in a white dress and laced pillbox hat, at London's five-star Savoy Hotel 'This involves working together and part of this is managing parking that is safe, legal and appropriate for the size of the village.' The complaints come as residents of the Cotswolds say the idyllic region's peace is under threat – after the district council unveiled plans to build 19,000 new homes. Moreton-in-Marsh – home to Dame Prue Leith and DJ Calvin Harris – could have 2,217 houses built under the proposals, while Cirencester could grow by as many as 3,717 properties. Other communities set to suffer include Down Ampney (1,658), Preston (1,368), Mickleton (1,238), Fairford (1,141) Kemble (1,020) and Siddington (372) – home to Changing Rooms star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. The new blueprint for the 18,900 homes will see a massive expansion of communities over two decades by 2043, with new schools, transport links, health centres and other infrastructure factored in. It forms part of Labour's national housing drive to build 1.5million new homes during this parliament, which includes mandatory council house-building targets. Meanwhile Bibury itself has had its own issues with homebuying, with locals in one of its most famous hamlets complaining of foreign buyers 'ruining' their rural lifestyles. A Turkish couple sparked fresh fury with 'warzone' renovation plans – despite earlier hopes their building work had been 'coming to an end'. Metin Dener and his wife Gulbin own a Grade-II listed property on Awkward Hill and are behind 'endless' building work which has lasted a number of years and is thought to have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and has been blasted as 'cultural vandalism'. To add insult to injury, it has emerged the couple are now looking to add a 'huge' outdoor fireplace to their precious cottage, as well as an underground car park but objections have rolled in with bosses at Cotswold District Council currently considering its approval. No more than 700 people live in Bibury, but over a weekend earlier this year up to 20,000 descend on the village armed with smartphones. In the mid-19th century, the renowned designer William Morris called Bibury 'the most beautiful village in England', when the only traffic was an occasional horse and cart over the stone bridge near The Swan hotel. Forbes previously named it as the most beautiful village in the world in a list of 50