“It’s a tragedy”: Residents claim “disrespectful” tourists are trampling flowerbeds turned Instagram hotspot

Residents have claimed "disrespectful” tourists, eager to take selfies at an Instagram hotspot, are trashing public flowerbeds.

Westgate Gardens in Canterbury, Kent, has become a photography hotspot - but locals say visitors show "no respect" and are trampling on the flowers.

The picturesque gardens are one of the most visited places in Canterbury - second only to the cathedral on Tripadvisor’s list of the 10 best things to do in the city. There are no official rules on where visitors can stand in the gardens and Canterbury City Council (CCC) says fines are not issued for walking on the grass or flowers.

Local Terry Westgate said: “The tourists seem to think they can get these fantastic photographs from among the flowers, but they're showing no respect.

“They have completely worn out the grass and it’s now got to the stage where they are standing in the flowerbeds to get the perfect pic, but in doing so, they are ruining it for everyone. It’s an absolute tragedy for all of Canterbury.”

Chris Henry, who operates punt river tours along the Stour, said: “The flowers have the effect of bringing people here in the first place, so it might be a price that we need to accept.

“But I do think that if there was a bigger sign or maybe even a warden that was put in charge of the area around here, this sort of thing could be kept at a minimum.”

A CCC spokesperson said: “We are pleased the flower displays in the Westgate Gardens are so popular and it's nice to see pictures popping up worldwide on Instagram, TikTok and other social media sites.

“Obviously it's sad to see some of the plants getting damaged, but we believe this is only by a tiny minority of visitors to the park. We understand the concerns that residents have raised about the damage and will be considering options for small changes we could make in that area of the park that would protect the flowerbeds and still allow those stunning photographs to be taken.”