The residents of Kidlington, Oxfordhire have been left very confused since bus after bus full of Chinese tourists started visiting the village – the reason for which is not obvious.
Tourists have been taking pictures of gardens, houses and have been knocking on the locals’ doors to take ‘selfies’ with them. Some tourists are even asking to use residents toilets and others have been seen sat on benches in people’s gardens whilst eating their packed lunches. The locals are more amused than annoyed at the flow of Chinese visitors.
One resident of Kidlington, Nick Allington said:
 “The tourists have asked my family if they could cut the grass in our garden.â€
The village, which has a population of approximately 13,700, is one of several contenders for the biggest village in England and Europe, which some say may be the reason for the sudden influx of tourists, albeit unlikely.
Some believe the sudden flow of tourists is due to the film Inspector Morse which was filmed in Thrupp, just north of Kidlington. Others believe Sir Richard Branson’s and Emma-Jane Woodham’s connections to the village have drawn the visitors in.
However, a large number of people believe a tour guide ‘mistakenly’ told the tourists the village was used to film one of the Harry Potter films, and this may explain why they have been taking pictures of the street, gardens and residents rather than the more iconic thatched cottages and old church just a short walk away.