The picturesque harbour of Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire, Wales, presents a postcard-perfect image. Yet, behind the facade of being crowned the UK's most affordable seaside village, a deep-seated fury is brewing amongst its permanent residents.
A new study, which placed Saundersfoot at the top of a list for budget-friendly coastal living, has been met with disbelief and anger by locals who say they are being systematically priced out of their own community.
The Harsh Reality Behind the 'Cheap' Label
The research, which highlighted the village's relatively low average house price of £285,000, has ignored the crippling local economic reality. For those born and raised in Saundersfoot, this figure is anything but affordable.
"It's an absolute joke," said one lifelong resident. "The study might say it's 'cheap' for outsiders, but for us, it's completely unaffordable. Wages here are low, and the houses are being snapped up for holiday lets or second homes, pushing prices up and pushing us out."
A Community Hollowed Out
The core of the issue lies in the rapid conversion of family homes into lucrative holiday rentals. The village, which swells with tourists in the summer, becomes a ghost town in the off-season, its community spirit evaporating.
- Housing Stock Drain: A significant portion of properties are now unavailable for local families to buy or rent long-term.
- Sky-High Rents: Those seeking to rent face costs inflated by the holiday let market, making it impossible to stay.
- Eroding Services: As young people and families leave, vital local services like schools and shops face an uncertain future.
Another local added, "There's no sense of community left. It's dying. The streets are empty in winter because no one actually lives here anymore. We've become a resort, not a village."
A National Crisis in a Microcosm
Saundersfoot's plight is a stark microcosm of a wider crisis affecting coastal communities across the UK. The dream of seaside living is creating a nightmare for locals, caught between stagnant wages and a booming property market driven by tourism.
The designation of 'cheapest seaside village' feels like a cruel irony to those fighting to keep their community alive, highlighting the stark disconnect between statistical analysis and on-the-ground reality.
