Coach operators have declared they will no longer visit a picturesque Cotswolds village, citing 'unsafe' parking plans. Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire has been grappling with the issue of excessive vehicles bringing day-trippers to the area.

In one year alone, the 'Venice Of The Cotswold' saw 238,000 visitors arrive by coach or large minibus. Locals complain about the lack of parking due to the influx of buses, while businesses fear a bus ban would negatively impact trade and turn the idyllic village into a "ghost-town".

Officials have backed a temporary solution for a 'drop off' point at Meadow Way. However, some coach companies argue that the location is "not safe" and too far from the village centre.

Middleton Tours, a regular visitor to the village, has had to reconsider its plans following concerns over the trial and an incident where a resident berated one of its tour guides and passengers. Speaking to the BBC, Tour manager Richard Smith said: "The site that they have chosen is right at the junction so it's not safe."

He added: "There is no shelter and no signage. There is apparently the provision for three coaches. Anybody that knows Bourton-on-the-Water, particularly during the main season, knows how busy it can get."

He concluded: "It's ill-thought-through and could be prone to operational disasters. Until there is a solution that works for the customer and coach operators, we have made the decision not to return to Bourton-on-the-Water."

The parish council have backed plans to address the village's parking shortage, which has been a major issue since a privately-owned site closed in 2023. The proposed scheme involves designating an on-street parking bay on Meadow Way for coaches to pick up and drop off passengers.

The buses would then relocate to an industrial estate after a 10-minute waiting period.

However, locals have expressed their disapproval, with one resident, Ron Wellard, 77, a retired fitter who has lived in Bourton for 50 years, calling the idea "stupid" and suggesting that the old Co-op site would have been more suitable. He said: "Everyone agrees that it's a stupid idea, putting it next to an old people's home.

"The old Co-op would have been better. I can't imagine people living next to the coach parking lane right next door won't be too happy about it, like the people living next door to the old coach park.

"But that's people for you, they buy a house next to a coach park and then moan about the coaches coming past.

"You can come here in the summer, it's heaving with tourists, then after seven o'clock at night it's a ghost town. But they don't live here you see.

"It's like living at the seaside, you never go to the sea if you live at the coast – it's tourists.

''I want the tourists to come of course, I'm very much live and let live, but they'd mind if I was constantly in Birmingham as a tourist."

Kieron Smith, 72, a retired Cotswolds stone tiler who has resided opposite the care home for over a decade, voiced his concerns: "It's the fumes. I'm not worried if they park there, but they don't turn the engines off."

''All the people that live here, we don't mind if they park there and drop off and clear off straight away, but we don't want them stopping there with the engines running. It's not fair on us when we're sitting in our gardens.

"They're going to come here, drop everyone off, clear off up to where they park, and come back to pick people up. But the councillors don't live here do they?''They're not worried about it, they don't live here, they live in the village. They don't have to sit in the gardens having the fumes come over. It's different for them. If you're directly involved then it's not very good."

You're probably going to be held up for five or ten minutes getting out because it'll be gridlock. ""The emergency services are here quite often with the blue lights going into the old people's home and they're going to be held up.

""Why can't they make the tourists walk the extra short distance so that they're not outside the care home?

If they love the village so much, it's only a short distance to the back of the village. "Gloucestershire County Council maintains the walk is "short", stating feedback will be "welcome" during the trial as it will be able to "make changes."

A six-month trial is set to kick off around Easter, allowing coaches to stop at Meadow Way for a 10-minute drop-off and pick-up window. Parking will be available at the Pulhams Coaches site from 9am to 4pm daily. Gloucestershire County Council has stated that the trial will provide coaches with a "dedicated area" for customer drop-offs and pick-ups, conveniently located a "short walk" from the village centre.

The parish council is eager to hear feedback on the scheme from residents, visitors and coach operators.

The county council has also assured that adjustments can be made to the scheme during the trial period to ensure optimal results.