A crackdown on second home ownership in a part of north Wales is to blame for bad behaviour witnessed at some holiday resorts, it has been claimed. CCTV footage was shared online which showed a group of diners at a beachside bar in Gwynedd.
At Llanbedrog Beach Bar, diners allegedly threw plates at a female member of staff and told her to “f*** off”. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
The party of six - made up of two men, two woman and two children - were also said to have turned all their plates upside down and spelt “p*** with their chips. Leaving a mess strewn across a table, they apparently filmed staff as they refused to pay for spurious reasons, writes North Wales Live.
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One member of staff said: “They were the rudest people we have ever had here. They are horrible, horrible people! I felt so bad - they were all shouting and causing a scene in front of the children and they were old enough to know what was going on.”
After the incident sparked a debate on social media, one local holiday let owner blamed Gwynedd Council for hiking council tax premiums for second homes. In April, the rate was raised from 100% to 150% but many second home owners, fearing the worst, had already sold up. One woman said: “Definitely noticing the difference. Glad I am not the only one disgusted with the behaviour of the visitors this year.”
Around one in five second homes in Wales are in Gwynedd, bringing frustration to generations of young people unable to afford their own homes who sometimes are forced to move from their communities. Gwynedd Council has brought in a suite of measures designed to restore some balance and address the issue of homelessness in the county.
On Thursday, another cafe worker issued a heartfelt Facebook plea for better behaviour. Asking customers for patience as businesses struggle to find staff, she said 14-year-old waitresses were being “reduced to tears because of horrible customers” impatient for their orders. Issues have also been raised in nearby Abersoch, with one woman commenting: “I worked in Abersoch for many many years from the 80s up to 2000. It’s really sad to see the decline in basic manners. The ‘old money’ knew how to treat people with respect.” Another woman agreed, saying: “Abersoch sadly isn’t how it once was. People with inflated egos are having a detrimental effect with such behaviour!”
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