A picturesque Cotswolds village became the subject of a national scandal when a pensioner had his car vandalised for spoiling tourists’ pictures.
Bibury, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, was once described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England”.
Arlington Row, owned by the National Trust, is particularly attractive, and even features on the inside cover of the British passport.
But little did the residents know that they would soon become the talk of the nation – and it was all due to a 84-year-old’s little yellow car.
Attention first seemed to focus on the hapless vehicle when tour company Kooky Cotswolds Tours tweeted of the car in 2014: “Bibury’s elephant in the room. The picture postcard street photobombed by the ugly little yellow car – every day.”
Arlington Row is one of the most photographed streets in the country – but the small yellow Vauxhall Corsa stuck awkwardly out from within the beautiful scenery.
Kooky Cotswolds tour operator clarified in response to a comment: “I’m in favour of the car. I certainly don’t want him to move it. Better picture with the car in it!”
He later added: “It’s so out of place and in such stark contrast to the scenery – you’ve just got to celebrate it.”
But much worse was to come for the car’s owner, Peter Maddox, now 90.
His car was horribly vandalised, with the word “move” scratched into its bonnet. Panels on the car were also scratched and the driver’s side window and rear windscreen were smashed. Mr Maddox, a retired dentist, was hit with a bill for the damages that reportedly reached £6,000.
But even this number was not reflective of how many drivers wanted to take part – with hundreds applying, but only 100 able to actually join for safety reasons.
He added: “The response has been amazing and overwhelming; people from all over the country and all over the world have applied to join the group.
“We’ve had everything here from a three-wheeler and a Mini to a Lamborghini super car…I’ve never seen so many yellow coloured cars in one place.”
Mr Maddox, who watched the convoy as it drove past his cottage, said he was “overwhelmed” by the show of support for his yellow car.
But he has since replaced the infamous vehicle and replaced it with one in grey.
Mr Maddox, who moved to Bibury 21 years ago after his wife died, said: “It’s not as good as the yellow car, but it’s lovely to drive.
“Hopefully I won’t have any trouble with it, although I never intended to cause a problem with the yellow one.”
Arlington Row was built in the 13th century and was a monastic wool store that was converted into weavers’ cottages in the 17th century.
It is a major tourist attraction and the National Trust, which owns the cottages, rents one of them out for more than £900 per week during peak season.