The small Kent seaside town overrun with 550 Airbnbs: Residents in celebrity hotspot of Whitstable say they their community has been torn apart by surge in rental homes that are forcing out families and turning it into a 'ghost town'

One of Britain's most popular seaside towns is being ruined by Airbnbs, locals say - with the holiday lets forcing out families, destroying any sense of community and turning it into a 'ghost town' in the winter.

Residents of picturesque Whitstable in Kent - including an Airbnb owner himself - have blasted holiday lets for forcing out families who were born and raised in the coastal resort.

Their anger comes after it was revealed that 542 Airbnbs are available in the town. This is compared with only eight livable apartments listed on Rightmove in the same area.

Whitstable is a very popular tourist hotspot for celebrities. Landlord of local haunt the Old Neptune Darren Wilton has documented the hosts of famous faces - including Holly Willoughby, Jack Whitehall, Anna Friel, Inbetweeners star Simon Bird and even the 13th Doctor Jodie Whittaker - that have visited his pub.

Celeb sightings in Whitstable also include Johnny Depp, Ed Sheeran David Beckham, Tom Hardy, Rob Beckett, Josh Widdicombe and Aaron Paul - so it is easy to see why the town is such a popular spot of holiday let investors.

Other fans of the town's charm include former porn actress Mia Khalifa, who was dubbed the 'Queen of Whitstable' lat year after sunbathing in a bikini in the cold January weather, the news website reported last year.

Graham Cox, of the Whitstable Society said after the findings by KentOnline were published: 'Airbnbs have stripped the life out of the core of the town.'

Artist and Airbnb owner John Butterworth, 62, has lived in the town for 30 years. He listed his mother's home on Airbnb after her passing as he didn't want to sell it, and still lives nearby.

Mr Butterworth said: 'The reason I started this was because I was losing a job and needed an income.

'I am aware that there are a growing number of them. When I started this ten years ago there weren't as many. I don't think it is a good thing.

'It became a bit of an epidemic. I think the government incentivised people because they don't charge taxes. I think that they should charge us.

'What you find with most of these is that the owners don't even live in Whitstable.

'I have started to notice that there aren't any neighbours. Half the houses in this street are Airbnb.

'I came down here because I couldn't afford to live in London. Now I can't afford to live in Whitstable.

'I moved to Whitstable because of the community and that community has been compromised.'

The nearby Kent seaside town of Ramsgate is also facing a battle against Airbnb properties, with locals claiming in April that the holiday let trade was pushing out locals.

Fisherman Graham West, 62, says Whitstable becomes a 'ghost town' in the winter, when no tourists are down to visit.

He said: 'Come in November and see how many lights are on. It comes to winter and this place becomes a ghost town.

'Airbnbs make up 60 per cent of the area. There are no locals anymore. Outside of weekends it is dead.

'Most people here don't have neighbours anymore.

'It is ridiculous. People are buying houses and not living in them.'

Having lived in the area his whole life Mr West has seen a lot of change and believes the Airbnbs are causing the local businesses to struggle.

He added: 'I think it has made a lot of difference to this town.

'The businesses start to struggle in the winter. There are lots of customers in the summertime but it's not for long, and you can't sustain a business on two months of the year.

'It would bring the community spirit back if they clamped down on it. I think they should be made to pay council tax.'

In January official data revealed that some 260,000 residential properties in England have been empty long term - while there are 70,000 holiday homes in England and Wales.

Local authorities have pursued council tax premiums, handing out refurbishment grants and asking genealogists to help them identify unknown property owners. Councils are also called on the Government to help them with new policies and more resources.

Ministers said at the time that they are trying to make things easier for authorities by allowing them to increase the rate of council tax on properties empty for at least one year.

Carly Firminger, 36, runs a café just outside of the high street which she says luckily is frequented by locals.

After living in Whitstable her whole life, she says that she had to move out to Herne Bay as house prices became far too expensive.

She said: 'I don't live here anymore because the house prices have been pushed up so much.

'Half of them are empty most of the year, and it's sad when you see people who can't afford to live here and there's all these empty houses.

'I wanted to live here, and I wanted to raise my kids here, but I simply can't afford it.

'But it is good for business. Carpenters and painters are cashing in big time. There are lots of people who are becoming cleaners too as there is such high demand for them.

'There are good points and there are bad points.'

Steve Notts has been running his boat tour business in Whitstable harbour for 24 years. He said: 'It is not good for locals. People are doing Airbnb rather than renting their houses.

'All the houses down the road have no locals. Come in the winter and they are dead.

'I started this business in 2000 and it had changed a lot since then. There were a lot more local people around then.'

It seems that a lot of the change to the area has happened in the last decade, with many saying the Airbnbs really started picking up just before the pandemic.'

Shannon Jackson, 40, has been living in Whitstable for nine years with her two children, and says she has seen so much change in that time.

The pub bartender said: 'It is just crazy. I was walking along my street the other day just counting them.

'They are renovating the house next to me right now to become one. There used to be such a nice old couple living there.

'In the short space of time I have been here there has been a lot of change.

'It is just not a community anymore. I like talking to people and neighbours but now everyone just comes and goes. It used to have a real community feel, it was a fisherman village.

'I am worried that we won't be able to afford to stay here. The locals in the pub are all fed up, but they won't move because they love it here.'

Resident Bob Spink, who has lived in Whitstable for 15 years says he pities the younger generation as they will never be able to afford to live in the area.

The 71-year-old said: 'There's too many of them [Airbnbs]. It is a cash cow as far as the council is concerned.

'The youngsters who want to live and work here can't afford to. So many of them are having to move out of Whitstable.

'The majority of the people buying houses here are either going to retire or let it out.

'Nobody in a little fishing village can afford these prices.'

However, not everyone sees Airbnbs as a negative.

Some business owners saying that they rely on the holiday-goers as customers.

Andy Thomas is the owner of a harbour shop called Kites and Things which he has run for 17 years, after having run a high street shop for 30 before that.

Living a couple of miles down the road he says that he has occasionally stayed in an Airbnb when attending something that goes on quite late.

He said: 'For me, the more tourists that are in the town the better. I sell stuff to local people, but you need a new flow of people and the Airbnb's bring that in.

'They don't drain the life from the area, they put money in the businesses.

'We need Airbnb, that's the majority of the people in the town that are spending money now.'

Matt, 24, from sandwich works at a café which is owned by a holiday company, next door to some converted fisherman huts that are now rented as rooms. He agrees that the tourists are good customers and add lots of financial benefit to the area.

He said: 'For us as a business it is good. A lot of people just come down for the weekend.'

In response to the comment that the tourists strip the life out of the town he added: 'sounds like an old man with too much time on his hands.'

Many other residents and local business owners found themselves torn on the issue, stating that there are positives and negatives to the flood of tourists.

Charlie Matthews, 33, who just opened his stall making pizza near the harbour says he also has mixed feelings on the influx of Airbnbs.

He added: 'I don't think they are great. There is just too many of them around town, it brings the price of everything up.

'There is nowhere to live. Every other house is an Airbnb.

'The place is packed in the summer for these two months, but the rest is awful.

'I heard that there's not even enough people living in the town now to fill the schools.

'It does bring a lot of business too, but we need a better balance.'