We live next to Peppa Pig World… we’ve built barricade to stop tourists from having picnics in our garden
NEIGHBOURS living next to a popular UK attraction have been left fuming by disrespectful tourists.
Hundreds of families flock to Peppa Pig World in Romsey near Southampton every day.
But beleagured locals have had enough.
They have now resorted to erecting a barricade to stop anti-social tourists ruining their lives.
Residents of a country lane near the entrance to the popular attraction have put up traffic cones and a ‘Road Closed’ sign.
Their complaints include tourists throwing dirty nappies into bushes, urinating near their homes, parking across their driveways and having picnics outside their houses.
And they say heavy traffic during summer months makes simple tasks like popping to the supermarket impossible.
Peppa Pig World opened in 2011 at the Paultons Park family attraction.
According to its website, around one million people visit the park every year.
The site is accessed via a turning off a quiet single lane road.
But many tourists miss the entrance.
Long queues of traffic form by 10am during the summer months.
Brett Osborne, 68, has lived next to the park for 40 years.
Asked of his experience the retired machinery worker said: “In three words… pain in the a**e. They have got too big – when they were a little smaller it was bearable.”
Mr Osborne and one neighbour put up a road closure sign three years ago to stop people from parking and driving onto their street.
It is not clear how or if residents got permission to block off their road from visitors to the area.
Mr Osborne added: “The traffic is one of the bigger problems.”
Kevin Shaw, a cyber security consultant, has lived in a cottage nearby with his wife Alyson Shaw, a doctor, for around ten years.
Mr Shaw, 55, said: “One of the things the Paultons Park visitors like to do is block my drive in.
“People change their babies’ nappies and throw it into the bushes – there was a woman having a pee in there the other day.
“A family had a picnic on our lawn and then left their rubbish.”
“We have had people think we are the Premier Inn.”
The couple said that from time to time, people will knock their doors and ask them how to get to the park.
Neighbours of the park have never been offered passes to visit the park for free and Mrs Shaw, 59, added: “Paultons have behaved in a way where they just don’t care about the community in any way.”
Mr Shaw said: “We can’t get to the supermarket at busy times of the day or get home.”
Shirley Burgess, 73, lives a few doors up the road from Brett and has lived in her cottage for 48 years. In 1986 she worked as a caterer in the park.
She said: “Trying to get in and out in the morning… we just can’t – it’s impossible. From nine o’clock in the morning, it is in and in all the time and it comes from both ways.
“We have people throw rubbish out and also make noise. They want to come and have a picnic.
The retired caterer said Paultons Park opened in 1983. “As the years have gone on, they expanded it.
“I did work in the catering there, I enjoyed it. It’s just been added on and added on.”
She said that Peppa Pig world has definitely increased the traffic and flow of visitors.
Mrs Burgess added: “Even Boris Johnson took his children there.”
Rosemary Newman, 79, lives next door to Shirley and said: “If we drive to get out and they’re all slowing it can be frustrating.”
Richard Mancey, Managing Director at Paultons Park, said: “We haven’t received any complaints from our neighbours relating to litter. The cleanliness and tidiness of our attraction, including the entranceway and surrounding areas, is of utmost importance to us and we work hard to maintain only the highest standards.
“We sponsor the Copythorne Parish Pickers group who carry out weekly litter picks of the roads leading to and surrounding the Park entrance. Our own team also carries out regular litter patrols to maintain an exceptional level of cleanliness and presentation of the approaches to the Park.
“Additionally, we implement all necessary measures to maximise the free flow of traffic on the approaches to the Park, within the limitations of the existing road infrastructure.
“We have good relationships with neighbouring residents and would welcome any direct feedback from the community should there be anything more we can do to support our neighbourhood.”
It comes after a famous UK attraction was left with a huge hole in its walls.
And England’s oldest tourist attraction’s mystical story was revealed.