By Denise Winterman BBC News Magazine

Most people count down the days until their summer holidays, but what's life like for local residents when tourists descend?

Last year windows were smashed and tyres slashed. People urinated in doorways and fences were ripped up for firewood.

This year more than �40,000 has been stumped up to pay for extra policing and security, and an Anti-social Behaviour Order (Asbo) has been obtained to curb bad behaviour.

But this isn't hooded yobs creating chaos on some inner-city sink estate, it's rich young holidaymakers running amok in the picturesque Cornish town of Polzeath and nearby Daymer Bay.

"Summer is certainly no holiday for us," says local resident Henry Dales. "We're under siege from these teenagers. They gather on the beach every night, get drunk, take drugs, fight and rip up anything that isn't nailed down to burn on fires."

Night watch

Such is the concern about their behaviour, residents and businesses in Polzeath have stumped up �20,000 to help pay for four police officers to patrol the beach every night for nine weeks over summer.

Residents of Daymer Bay have forked out �11,000 for private security guards, and local police have obtained an Asbo allowing them to close the beach after 10pm during July and August. Anyone refusing to leave could face three months in jail or a �2,500 fine.

Officers have also written to every public school in England and Wales to warn pupils of the crackdown, as well as posting messages on teen website and producing posters.

You can't expect teenagers to enjoy the beach all day and then go home in the evening for a cup of cocoa with their mums Sergeant Robin Hogg

"There's a dramatic increase in crime in the area during the summer months, from thefts to public order offences," says Sergeant Robin Hogg, who is co-ordinating the police operation. "But police numbers stay the same, so it's an extremely busy and stressful time."

Last year five million tourists visited Cornwall, while an estimated 14 million went to the Lake District. For those living in these popular tourist destinations, life can become quite a challenge during the summer.

Litter increases, doing the weekly shop takes twice as long and there's no room at the local pub - the list of gripes is long. But the influx of holidaymakers can also cause serious tension.

"The council has already had to remove one lot of graffiti telling tourists to get out of town," says Diane Blake, who lives near Penzance in Cornwall.

Board manners

"There are fights because some visitors aren't sensitive to the way of doing things here and their behaviour is often dangerous. Take surfing, it's really popular at the moment. Loads of tourists hire boards, but they can't control them and are unaware of surfing etiquette. That doesn't go down well with the locals."

While residents acknowledge the millions of pounds tourism generates, they feel the problems it creates are often over looked.

"Many local people have to adopt a different way of life in the summer," says Claire Storey, who lives near Coniston in the Lake District.

"I know that if we didn't have any tourists we wouldn't get a fraction of the money that is currently invested in the area, but it is still hard to take when your life is disrupted for months on end. We may live in a beautiful place, but that doesn't mean the problems we experience are any less annoying than elsewhere."

Sun, sea, anti-social behaviour

The swell in population also puts added pressure on police and public services. Devon and Cornwall Police restrict annual leave and cancel all training for officers during the summer. Tasks such as collecting the rubbish become a logistical nightmare for North Cornwall District Council.

"We are now considering collecting rubbish at night because the roads are too clogged for refuse trucks to get round during the day," says a council spokesman.

Educating people about what behaviour is acceptable on holiday goes some way to solving the problems.

"You can't expect these teenagers to enjoy the beach all day and then go home in the evening for a cup of cocoa with their mums, it's an unrealistic expectation," says Sergeant Hogg.

Etiquette guide

"The police operation this summer is based around educating the kids about responsible behaviour before they get here. If it works then it will save us a lot of time and effort playing cat-and-mouse with them after the beach curfew."

Surfers in the Cornish town of Portreath have adopted the same tactic. They have produced a booklet on surf etiquette that will be given to anyone who hires a board from local surf shops this summer.

But despite the problems summer brings, locals are grateful to tourists for some things.

"I know Cornwall wouldn't be the same place without tourists," says Diane. "There wouldn't be so many nice restaurants and cafes for a start. It's just annoying when you can't use them in the summer because they are booked up."

Three generations of my family have enjoyed regular holidays in Polzeath for decades, but not any more. We now purposefully avoid the place during the school/university summer holidays because our time is inevitably ruined by louts, high on drugs & alcohol, running riot in the area every night.
Ben Culverhouse, Bristol, UK

We have similar disorder problems in Bournemouth. I live 5 minutes away from the beach and accept that I will not be able to park in my road when the weather is hot. That is a fair trade off. However what I despise is the behaviour of tourists that drink themselves stupid in town and then believe they have the right to smash up the town and start fights. I don't see their council tax paying for the extra police we need because they haven't evolved from being drunk monkeys yet!!
Gareth Jones, Bournemouth, Dorset

I live in a tourist town, but we don't suffer too much as not many teenagers want to come here. Our main problem is the M5. It can take me 3 hours to get home from Bristol during the summer season (a journey that takes me 25 mins in winter) this is all the tourists heading to Cornwall, so it is not just the very popular resorts that suffer. Also please remember that we are all tourists when we go on holiday.
Maggie Duffy, weston super mare

Living in London we put up with extra rubbish, over-crowding and general annoyances tourists bring to the capital 365 days per year!
Peter Fuller, London, UK

Cornwall has a finite size and we don't need any more people coming here than we already get, but we keep being told that we need wider roads etc. to accommodate tourists. What Cornwall really needs is to move its economy away from so much seasonal work, so that young people can earn a decent, permanent wage and actually afford to live here and buy houses.
Steve, Helston, Cornwall

Locals complaining that tourists don't have the right etiquette and that they can't drink in their usual pubs... what pompous nonsense. They'd also be complaining if tourists stayed away and they lost their income. There is no excuse for antisocial behaviour, but living directly or indirectly off tourist income and then claiming it takes longer around the supermarket is ridiculous.
Jay, Cardiff, Wales

To a certain extent we get this every time the sun comes out (not just in the summer), people from all over Swansea and the surrounding area flock to Mumbles the second there's a bit of sun. As soon as this happens you know not to try and drive into the village as it's jammed... although the pubs are always packed.
Paul, Swansea

I love visiting Cornwall, as a surfer i know the etiquette and will do my best not to get in the way of the locals - its their spot so respect is due. This is the case out of the water too. How would you like it if you found a stranger pissing in you garden for example. Newquay is a nice place in winter but is one of the most horrible places to visit in summer - all the chavs who can't afford to go to Faliraki to get drunk descend on it. Same is true for Rock and Polzeath but with posh kids. They're helping ruin Cornwall and don't realise they're shooting themselves in the foot. I like the ASBO idea here - i think its a shame its had to come to this. When I visit these sorts of places (anywhere in fact) I try to respect local customs and the local environment so that other people may enjoy the area in the future.
Andy, Leeds

I know I speak for many who hate the holiday season and actually look forward to Autumn. Tourists seem to think there money is all we have. Little do they know it then all has to be spent cleaning up after them. And why once on holiday do they feel the need to walk down the middle of the road looking at the sky. Do they do it in there cities. The crime rate also rises as does prices. Also why do they feel they need to bring there city attitude with them surely this could stay at home. I'd prefer it if there where no tourists where I live.
michael vincent, bude

Are the Brits amazed at Brits behaviour or just amazed that they behave like this in the UK? Actually the rest of the known world has suffered from Brits behaviour on holiday: drunkenness, stealing, vandalism, etc. It is amazing that Brits are shocked at what the rest of us (outside of uk) have had to deal with for ages. Is it right or proper, of course not, so quit hiding behind a false sense of superiority and admit (and deal) with that the Brits are human and have human problems/faults. I would rather be around ten ugly Americans than one drunk Brit on Holiday. No one is safe from a Brit on Holiday, in the UK, on the plane, or on the ground.
sojnny, st. louis missouriu, usa

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