A historic and picturesque town has been left feeling more like 'little Ibiza' thanks to crowds of partygoers, it has been claimed.
A number of people living in Skipton claim they have been left "angry" and "frustrated" by ongoing 'noise issues' in the town centre.
The North Yorkshire tourist town, which has a rich history, is best known for its medieval castle, canal and stunning views.
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However, a number of people living and working there have told Yorkshire Live that as more hospitality venues have opened, it has become 'overwhelmed' by crowds with 'drunken idiots' creating noise and disruption.
The area on and around Keighley Road, which leads into the town's High Street, has become a hub for takeaways, restaurants, pubs, bars, and cafés.
A long line of takeaways including Lemons takeaway, Keirmans Cottage, Chico's Pizza, The Deli, Get Stuffed and a number of burger and kebab shops line the streets, and a long line of taxis sit waiting for punters - much like you'd see in a busy city centre.
Keighley Road is also home to popular nightclubs Kooky and Pop, as well cocktail bar Flutez and Fizz. And it seems the expansion of such venues isn't stopping any time soon.
In October 2022, permission was also sought to change two units in High Corn Mill, Chapel Hill - just a short walk from the city centre's canal - and an alcohol licence was granted.
"I guess it's one of those things - I live just up the road from Keighley and some nights it's okay but then other nights it's so loud and full of drunken idiots" a resident on Rowland Street said.
"I do understand it's Christmas time and it's bound to happen but, yeah, I have noticed the amount of noise" they added.
Speaking about the noise in Keighley Street, a shopkeeper at Lewiatan, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "We do get a lot of people coming in to buy alcohol on the weekends, which probably adds to the problem, but mid-week isn’t too bad as we shut at 9.30pm."
"We recently have got a lot of people coming in to buy KSI’s drink so it's been busy because of that" they added.
Clare Sheffi Humphris moved to Skipton in the summer of 2022. In November, she decided to leave the town to move to a more rural area after finding it "overwhelming" and filled with "crowds of people".
She said: "I could no longer cope with crowds of people. I went to the Skipton lights switch on and felt overwhelmed by the noise, lights, and sheer volume of people.
"People battling for their place in the queue for beer and food, kids screaming and crying, many smiling and oozing with festive excitement too. As much as I wanted to enjoy the event I simply had to get off the high street to the quiet back streets."
A 41-year-old resident who lives in Castle Street said: "It’s hard because Skipton is a great place with lots going on but it’s frustrating when the party goes on until 5am - this is a nice area and it’s not what we want really."
Speaking previously about the issue on social media, Skipton Community Noticeboard team said: "It is obviously not pleasant (putting it mildly) to have any noise continuously keeping you awake when you would normally be sleeping, never mind the kind of industrial noise involved in road resurfacing.
"It is perfectly understandable to be angry and frustrated that you are not being heard about the effect this disturbance has on your lives."
Janice Naylor added: "My goodness, Skipton a rough town that needs security men on the doors of pubs. I thought it was a jewel of a town, it certainly was when I was a lot younger." Meanwhile a number of residents said they weren't bothered by the noise.
David, who lives around 10 minutes away from the town centre, said: "I have read about the issues online about this. I don’t come to this area at night because it is cold in winter so it doesn’t affect me really as I just don’t come to stay away from it."
Keith said: “I don’t live in the town centre so I can avoid the noise. I do like to come into the centre at day time to enjoy medieval days, Christmas days, shopping. There's loads to do."
Bunty Worthington said: "Skipton is a safe town. It's bound to be noisy, especially with outside drinking." Marie added: "I don’t have an issue I think Skipton’s wonderful."
Craven District Council have been contacted by Yorkshire Live for further comment.
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