Whalley, in Lancashire’s verdant Ribble Valley, is famed for its 14th-century Cistercian abbey and historic churches, as well as the spectacular views from Whalley Nab, the wooded hill that overlooks this seeming picture-postcard idyll.
But while the village still draws in family day-trippers and history buffs, it is also attracting an altogether different type of tourist, after earning perhaps an unlikely reputation as Lancashire’s premier drinking destination.
The boom in Whalley’s night-time economy is causing tensions in the village, with residents complaining of vehicles being damaged, drug paraphernalia left strewn across the street, vomit spattered on pavements on weekend mornings, people urinating outside homes or in gardens and loud music shaking houses until the early hours.
Daytime events have seen the chaos extended across the weekend, and locals have complained of groups of women parading large inflatable phalluses through the terraced streets.
Residents no longer look forward to bank holiday weekends and the summer months, they say, as they bring with them more drunken crowds.
One man, who lives near some of the busiest venues, said during the week “it’s very peaceful, and it’s very quaint, and it’s very Agatha Christie”.
“It’s just a shame,” he added.
On one occasion, he said he was pushed into the road by a group of inebriated women who “thought it would be a joke”.
He said he feared the “Blackpool-isation” of Whalley – the famous Lancashire seaside resort is popular destination for hen and stag parties. “By allowing this to happen you’re selling the soul of the village,” he said.
Whalley has more than 30 licensed premises for a population of just more than 4,000.
People have formed a Residents’ Action Group (RAG) to lobby licensees, the police, and the council to tackle the issue.
It isn’t a new problem – those who live here say they have had problems for years – but many say it is getting worse, with Whalley becoming more attractive to night-time visitors as the drinking scene in other Lancashire towns diminishes.
Revellers are coming from as far away as Preston, Blackpool and Manchester, locals say. Those who live in Whalley are going away every weekend to avoid the noise, taking medication to help them sleep – or selling up and moving.
“I’ve had to leave in the night,” one RAG member said – most residents did not want to give names for fear of recriminations.
“I went to the top of Whalley Nab in my car to try to get some sleep,” she said. “You feel like your head is going to explode with the noise.”
“People are definitely getting more fed up with it,” she added. “We’re at breaking point.”
“It’s just not fitting for Whalley,” another RAG member said. “At the same time you’ve got families coming for our beautiful abbey and churches … It’s about respect.”
“This isn’t about stopping other people’s fun,” she added. “We like a good night out too. But we’re so tired; we can’t sleep.”
“I’ve had neighbours move because of the noise,” another resident said. She once was “shocked” when she opened her front door to find women squatting in the gutter and urinating outside her house.
“You don’t expect it,” she said. “You come to a place like Whalley expecting peace and seclusion.”
“It’s terrible,” Derek Alexander, 80, said. “Many a time you’re getting woken up at 4 o’clock in the morning. They park their cars here and they’re here all weekend.
“I don’t go out after 7 o’clock on a Friday or Saturday night.”
At a recent Ribble Valley borough council meeting, the Conservative councillor Mark Hindle, who residents have praised for fighting their corner, told members: “There is noise, people have sex down the alleys, they sniff cocaine off car bonnets.”
While locals have called for licences to be reviewed, it is understood that the council is constrained by national frameworks.
Some licensees said they feared the negative publicity would harm their business. Most of the village’s bars and restaurants do not stay open late, and have not been linked to any trouble.
“The village has always been busy,” one manager of a licensed premises said. “You’re always going to get some idiots somewhere.”
Nightlife in Whalley has been described as the “wild west” by some residents, a label residents in villages, towns and cities with similar concerns will recognise.
In Leeds, the two-and-a-half-mile Otley Run is seen by some as “one of the world’s great booze trails” and a rite of passage for students. For others, it is a public menace.
Cambridge and York are steeped in history and wonderful places for a weekend away. For many they would be even more wonderful places without the raucous hen and stag party mobs.
A Ribble Valley council spokesperson said the local authority understood Whalley residents’ concerns and took them seriously.
“Antisocial behaviour can arise from a variety of sources, not just licensed premises,” he said. “Whalley licensees are working closely with us to identify and remedy alleged problems.”
“The council issues licences in accordance with government legislation and guidance,” he added.
Lancashire police said: “Whalley is a fantastic place to live, work and visit and we work proactively with partner agencies to ensure that remains the case.
“Like with all places which have a thriving night-time economy, there are occasional issues which require police or local authority intervention.
“However, via regular dialogue with our communities and key stakeholders and targeted policing, thankfully these incidents remain small in number.”
