Locals are concerned about the impact of tourism on the quaint, quiet village. (Image: Getty)
A beautiful village has been branded “mini ” due to the droves of rowdy English visitors that are descending on the community – and many locals have had enough.
Llanberis, which has a permanent population of around 2,000, is beloved by English holidaymakers taken by its quiet charm and striking natural beauty – and a great base from which to explore nearby .
But residents of the northwest community – who are mostly Welsh speakers – are complaining of being priced out of the area by the surge in Airbnbs as well as reports of disorderly behaviour.
These include accounts of drunken fights among revellers in fancy dress and a report of a woman buying fish a chips dressed only in a thong.
spoke to several unhappy locals, who fear that the area’s local character is being impacted.
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Many tourists told the outlet that there’s growing frustration at the surge in English-owned Airbnbs. (Image: Getty)
Linda Owen, 58, there is “growing anger among us Welsh speakers towards the English”.
The local added that she “wouldn’t be surprised if we went back to the days of holiday homes being burned down again”, referencing homes belonging to English people being burned down by Welsh nationalist group Meibion Glyndwr in the 1980s.
“All the tourists are a nuisance,” Ms Owens said, adding: “Sometimes there are so many that you get pushed off the pavement into the street.
“It feels like the English are taking over,” she went on to say, adding that she knows a woman from “who has bought four or five houses to use as Airbnbs”, while her son has had to move away because its too expensive.
It comes as a group of seven English women hikers vowed to never return to Llanberis, after claiming they were snubbed in pubs and had anti-English jibes thrown at them in the street.
Another resident, 53-year-old Emlyn Roberts said there is “definitely more anti-English hatred now than in recent years. People are angry that they have bought up so many houses. You hear people talking about wanting to get rid of them and driving them out”.
But the father-of-three thinks the anti-tourist rhetoric is “just talk”, adding that people in the village “don’t want a return to cottage burning – that would be madness”.
[REPORT]
The village is often used by tourists a base for hikes up Mount Snowdon. (Image: Getty)
But he said people “are scared the Welsh identity is being lost as the schools become empty as young families have been forced to move out”.
Others insisted there wasn’t anti-English bias in the area, and recognised the value of tourism for local businesses.
Glenys Hughes, a pub cleaner, said while some people are angry about the number of Airbnbs owned by English people “there’s little outright hostility,” insisting that tourists are “the lifeblood of the village”.
Rhys Parry, 26, a boat hire worker who lives in a small village on the mountain above the lake says English speakers are embraced by the community, saying “One English guy moved in and we have accepted him into our friendship group. He’s now learning Welsh”.
He also emphasised the importance of tourism for the area but noted that it was important people spent money on local businesses rather than rocking up with picnics.
has approached Llanberis and Nant Peris Community Council for comment.
It comes as Botwnnog village in Gwynedd put plans for 18 new “affordable” on hold, with council committees told that use of the property as Airbnbs could harm the area, MailOnline reports.
Gwynedd County Council’s planning committee rejected the application, saying there wasn’t any need for the properties and noting the ‘harmful’ impact on the language, as per the outlet.