RESIDENTS who live in a picturesque seaside town have said that their home is being ruined by posh newcomers.
Salcombe in Devon was named as the country’s most expensive coastal place to buy a property.
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Research by Halifax found the average house price in Salcombe last year was just over a whopping £1.2million.
But some locals are not happy with the situation and revealed the divide in the stunning town.
There are those who can afford to come in, buy beautiful houses, then leave them lying empty.
Then there are those who have deep roots in the town and are desperate to remain, but haven’t a hope of earning the kind of money that even Salcombe’s cheapest properties command.
Gerrie Messer, who manages a food bank, told Mail Online: “The problem is worsened because food in Salcombe is more expensive than in outside towns and villages.
“Fish and chips might cost more than £15 there and £9 elsewhere simply because of the type of people it attracts. Shops and restaurants push up the prices.”
Another woman who lives in a low-rent housing development said she barely recognises the hometown she knew as a girl.
She said: “Now we get these aloof, nouveau-riche Hoorahs who spend a couple of weeks here, drinking gin and tonics and sailing about with their friends, then go off to the Caribbean, St Tropez or wherever. They do nothing whatsoever for Salcombe.
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“They just have parties and ruin the environment with their boats. We used to have a huge population of seahorses in the sea-grass along the estuary.
“You won’t find many of them now. This town has become like Venice. All the real local people have been priced out.
“I’m not jealous. I just feel very, very sad.”
It comes as other residents revealed how the posh resort charges twice the price of a pint of a beer compared to the UK’s most affordable coastal place, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland.
Punters pay £3.60 for a pint of basic lager in the northern resort – but in Salcombe some listings show £6.
Seaside staples such as fish and chips and buckets and spades also cost considerably more.
Nigel Blazeby, from Salcombe RNLI, said the town “has always been an expensive place to live”.
He added: “It’s a beautiful place and it’s popular with locals and other people who want come to live here from further afield.”
While Beth Hillier, who owns a small clothing shop in Salcombe, described her home as a “ghost town” in the winter.
Beth said: “Although I run a business, I personally don’t live there, which I think really is the crux of the issue.
“The problem is that because there’s a lot of holiday homes there, it outprices locals and prevents a real and thriving community from being established in the town.
“Most people work and use the town for business, but like me don’t necessarily live there.
“We suck it up and keep the shop open all year round to keep our staff employed, but it’s a ghost town in the winter – the town relies on the tourism industry.”
