The beautiful UK city being turned into a 'theme park' by Harry Potter fans

York is known for its links to the Romans and Vikings, and , which feel like stepping back in time. But now, residents have reached the end of their rope with tourists, who crowd their historic city, which one local said has become like "an English theme park".

One of the major draws, alongside the 13th-century cathedral and 11th-century castle, is the Shambles - a lined with shops, boutiques, and tea rooms. Dating back to the 14th century, the street is made up of timber-framed buildings with jettied floors that overhang the street, often by several feet. But now, many of the quaint shops have been replaced by Harry Potter-themed shops and other "tourist traps" like the viral York Ghost Merchants. While this historic street has never officially been used as a filming location, it is said to have inspired Diagon Alley. Though has not confirmed this, the film version of Diagon Alley has an uncanny resemblance to the Shambles.

One local complained about the overexposure of the franchise in the city, telling the : "It's a shame the Shambles has been turned into a Harry Potter plastic s***e shopping centre. It used to be butchers, tailors, locksmiths and all sorts, but now it's plastic wands and bubble tea.

"Why can't something be touristy and traditional at the same time? It feels like a bit of a theme park of what England used to be, in the essence of Chinatown. Tourism is great for the city and its economy, but at some point, it's not worth turning everything into a bubble tea shop."

The city centre is often crowded with tourists, especially on weekends and during the summer months. This causes bottlenecks and forces people to shuffle down the street slowly and weave around queues for shops and groups taking pictures.

City of York councillor Stephen Fenton told that he's "worried" about the exodus of locals. He said: "I used to go to the Shambles a lot because my favourite restaurant was there, but that's gone. We don't want locals to feel there's nothing for them in the city centre."

One local said that York has gone from "a pretty working-class city to a historic theme park", becoming "a base for drinking and shopping for almost anyone in the North for a day trip".

Another added that they felt priced out, saying: "York would be lovely if the council didn't prioritise tourists above residents who pay for them. I live in Acomb, I can't get a bus there and increasing the parking charge from 85p to £4.85 an hour is just hurting local shops and visitors. Soon we won't have any independent shops."

But not everyone thinks that visitors are damaging the town. One local said: "York is a thriving, vibrant town. It couldn't thrive without the tourist industry. York needs tourists and students, whether foreign or British. I'd like to think the people of York don't care, as long as the city is thriving......which it seems to be."

Another, who has lived in York their entire life and worked mainly in tourism, said: "I have countless friends who work in tourism and hospitality, without it, our city would be really struggling, we have no real industry anymore other than various services.

"Over my 20-plus years working in tourism, I have met people from all across the world wanting to know more about our history and heritage. I think it is a wonderful thing that we have such a well-known heritage and culture that draws people to our city."

One local said that, without tourists, York would be "streets of chain stores and vape shops rather than quirky independents, limited restaurants and bars, and no fun events". They added that tourists and locals together are the "lifeblood" of the city.