British holiday hotspot blighted by DRONES as amateur 'pilots' spark fury from locals

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GB NEWS
James Saunders

By James Saunders


Published: 22/06/2025

- 18:35

Furious residents have complained of the devices buzzing past their bathroom windows

A much-loved British holiday hotspot is being blighted by drone-wielding tourists.

The Cotswold village of Castle Combe has launched an advisory no-fly zone poster campaign targeting drones.


With a population of just 400, residents have warned that their privacy is under attack from visitors seeking aerial footage.

Their complaints include devices buzzing past bathroom windows and disrupting the village's peace and quiet.

Residents also fear the drones may be in breach of flying regulations.

Castle Combe

The Cotswold village of Castle Combe (pictured) has launched an advisory no-fly zone poster campaign targeting drones

PA

The current rules set by the Civil Aviation Authority are clear that operators must register their devices before flying and maintain visual contact with them while they're in the air.

"Civil Aviation Authority rules are clear that you should not fly below 50 metres when flying over people's property," Ian, who runs a YouTube channel Ian in London, which features drone footage, said.

Additional restrictions prohibit flying over crowds and establish no-fly zones around airports and prisons.

Experts, meanwhile, have blamed the pandemic for skyrocketing "drone tourism" across the UK.

MORE AS UK HOLIDAY HOTSPOTS FACE TOURIST CHAOS:

Drone

Experts have blamed the pandemic for skyrocketing 'drone tourism' across the UK

PA

"Once things opened up a bit, you had people heading to quieter places like national parks and beauty spots, and looking for something to do," Dr James Kennell, head of hospitality and tourism management at the University of Surrey, said.

"It's much easier to get started than it was a few years ago," Dr Kennell added.

"Many of the drones can be operated with your mobile phone and it isn't hard to start making videos straight away."

Castle Combe follows other locales which have endured social media-driven visitor surges - including Bibury, "England's prettiest village".

Castle Combe

Furious Castle Combe residents have complained of the devices buzzing past their bathroom windows

PA

But the drone pilots have hit back.

"If you look at a typical tourist spot like Stonehenge, the average family with children is going to be making much more noise than any drone," argues YouTuber Ian.

"Of course, we don't make a massive fuss over children being noisy, but the thing with drones is that they are a new kind of noise that people aren't used to hearing."