RESIDENTS in a pretty seaside village have slammed posh second home owners for turning into a “ghost town” where locals can’t afford to buy.
The twin towns of Cawsand and Kingsand in Cornwall used to be rival smuggling ports in the eighteenth century – but locals are now united against an influx of rich holidaymakers snapping up property.
4
4
Barista Kathleen Rixon, 28, told CornwallLive: “It does go from this hustly and bustly Cornish town to a very quiet sombre place which is sometimes great.
“Some people love it. I, however, hate it, and I think it’s out of touch.
“We can’t afford to buy houses here because it’s so expensive because of the second home industry.
“I would really like to see more people move here and live here and stay during the winter, and become more of a community for the whole year, not just the summer season.”
Her boyfriend Tom said: “It would be really great if there was some kind of initiative for people that don’t use their houses all year round to rent them out to local people, even if it’s just over winter.
“In the winter a lot of people like to come back here but they can’t, and there’s lots of houses that sit empty which is kind of tragic.”
Most read in The Sun
Local John Shepherd said: “There’s been a big move away from residency to holiday homes so the biggest issue with that is property prices have rocketed, particularly anything with a sea view.
“As a result of that the local kids and families really struggle to buy anything here as many are on minimum wage, and property prices being what they are here, it’s not doable.
“Even so-called affordable accommodation around here isn’t really affordable.
“The place basically operates on school term times now so mid-July, August, the place is absolutely rammed, then it quiets down.
“You get a little bit of a pick-up in half-term and then it goes quiet again until Christmas. It’s very noticeable.”
Other locals are more cheerful about the twin villages’ prospects.
Gabby Zemin, 25, said: “The biggest drama we have here is when it gets stormy – the waves can come crashing up here.”
It comes after residents of a seaside town slammed as the “worst place on earth” hit back and said how lucky they feel to live there.
Locals in one of the UK’s best seaside resorts are terrified their picturesque cliffs could collapse because of burrowing rats.
The water in the harbour of another idyllic seaside town turned orange, baffling residents.
Furious residents said their picturesque seaside town has been ruined by an “eyesore” yellow brick road – making it look like something out of the Wizard of Oz.
4
4
