Dean and his partner travelled more than 270 miles from Windsor, Berkshire, to Hayle, Cornwall, but say the daubings have put them on edge in the two weeks since. The crude writing is on the 30 mile per hour welcome sign for the town and reads: “Emmet’s r a cancer” and “Die emmets.” The word emmets is Cornish slang for tourists or outsiders.
The graffiti covers part of the text of the sign, and also includes poorly-drawn black crosses inside a circle.
Speaking to Cornwall Live, Dean said: “It’s not nice for us to see when we’re visiting, and it’s definitely not nice for the people who live here to see this.
“It’s not just that, it’s unnecessary. Some of the local businesses down here depend on tourism, and without us they’ll struggle.
“When you see stuff like this it does turn you off.”
Dean, who has visited Cornwall since he was a young child, arrived for his latest holiday at the start of the month and was alarmed to see the graffiti upon entering the port town in his car.
He continued: “I get it, I do understand we get on locals’ nerves as we create congestion, but don’t live in somewhere which is a tourist attraction if you feel this strongly.
“I get that some tourists aren’t respectful, and can be rude. But still.
“It’s a bit busier than last year, but not unbearable. We know the county well enough to go away from the tourist magnet areas.
“But aside from this, we’ve had a lovely, peaceful and relaxing time.”
