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A recent visitor to a popular Cornwall coastal destination described the eeriness of an apparent "ghost town". The visitor said that it was remarkably quiet even during what should have been the start of the buzzing tourist season.
It follows reports that one in every 18 homes in Cornwall are no longer used for long-term residence, doubling from one in nine over the past decade.
Tourists were expected to flock to the area, renowned for visitor surges during the early spring months. But, the tourist said certain towns still seemed deserted in what should have been a buzzing time for businesses, reports Cornwall Live.
A reader wrote a poignant letter to publications - the Cornishman, the Cornish Guardian, and the West Briton - detailing their experience in Fowey, on the Cornish coast.
In an expressive poem, they vividly depicted the loneliness and desolation of their visit, noting that "few people can be found" and expressing concern that "Cornish folk are priced out".
Poem: 'Empty'
The pretty streets beside
the sea
Belie a sickening sound
Of morbid wealth that took by stealth
The buildings in the town.
And most of them are empty,
Few people can be found.
They made their many millions
Moving money in the Smoke
Before they saw a stunning view;
Then bought it off some bloke.
And now that small investment
Has doubled at a stroke.
Many a fierce fishermen
Who lived in homes like these,
Would come home to their weary wives
From work upon the seas
And spend their Sunday mornings
In church upon their knees.
Their sadness is to see their homes
Closed up, silent and bare.
Only open when their rich
Plush owners can be there.
No local accents sounding
Is more than they could bear.
Cornish folk are now priced out
Of property by the sea.
And through the blinded
windows
We see prosperity,
Though now these streets
are empty
Except for you and me.
A single, silent seagull
Swoops upon its prey.
Then verdant country greets us
by Francis Charters.
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