Hundreds of thousands of women are “missing out” on having children, partly because of a “delay” in young men maturing into adulthood, a report has claimed.

The Centre for Social Justice, a think tank founded by Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said around three million women aged between 16 and 45 are projected not to have children under current trends. If birth trends were the same as their grandparents’ generation, then around 2.4 million women would not have children. It means around 600,000 fewer women are having children, it said.

The paper, published on Sunday, cited a range of reasons for falling birth rates, including declining marriage rates and the later average age at which women are having children. But the report also suggests “male employment and education trends may play a role in falling birth rates”.

The report said that, “in the past”, a 24-year-old man would have likely been married, had a child and been working for a decade, but now men are only leaving home at the age of 25 on average.

One way to tackle the UK’s falling birth rate is to encourage marriage at a younger age and for men to “enter adulthood” earlier than 25, the report said.

open image in gallery

The Centre for Social Justice was founded in 2003 by Sir Iain, a former minister for Work and Pensions under the Conservative government. The CSJ’s report is also supported by Miriam Cates, a former Tory MP who has been outspoken in her concern about declining fertility rates in Britain and has called for policies to promote marriage and having children.

Elsewhere, the report recommends that the government explore so-called “pro-natal” policies which incentivise people to start or grow families, such as tax cuts and conditions for benefit changes.

But it said creating financial incentives to have children without addressing low marriage rates is “putting the cart before the horse”, citing an analysis published in the Financial Times.

The FT article included in the report does not specify marriage but does link fertility to falling relationship rates. It said: “From the US, Finland and South Korea to Turkey, Tunisia and Thailand, falling birth rates are increasingly downstream of a relationship recession among adults. Baby bonuses put the cart before the horse when a growing share of people are without a partner. Even in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, similar trends may be underway.”

The think tank’s suggestion to incentivise marriage through tax cuts comes after Reform UK MP Matt Goodwin was criticised for saying in a blog that people who don’t have children should be taxed extra as punishment.

The think tank said falling fertility rates could also impact the ratio needed between pensioners and working-age people, and said that to maintain the ratio, the state pension age would need to rise to 75 by 2039.

In a report published in January 2025, the UK’s Office for National Statistics said total fertility rates had fallen between 2012 and 2023.

open image in gallery

It also said fertility rates for women in all age groups under 30 years are projected to decrease, while age groups over 30 years are projected to increase between 2022 and 2047.

The ONS asked a panel of experts to outline various factors that could impact future fertility rates and found:

Staring at the text message I’d composed on my phone, I felt both ecstasy and fear.

It read: ‘I’m a woman, always have been. From this day on, I will live as a woman.’ 

Simple and direct. At the age of 33 in 2019, I was done with wasting time. 

Taking a deep breath, I hit send. Instantly, all my friends and family found out at the same time that I was trans. 

The responses were very telling. Especially from cisgender male friends. 

Before I came out as trans, l felt trapped in my male body prison.  

I’ve always known I was female. As a child I felt awful wearing boy clothes – it never felt right – and playing games with the boys was awful, too. I didn’t want to rough play – I wanted to brush dolls’ hair with the other girls and play hop scotch.  

In my teens I completely retreated into myself. I felt anxious and had no lust for life.

As an adult, I struggled to form meaningful relationships. I had a few close friends but I always felt hollow inside.

One day when walking through a park, a group of teens circled me on their bikes. They started throwing stones at me and shouting homophobic slurs.  

Following that incident, I felt like I was drowning, suffocating in my body. I simply could not live as a man a moment longer.

I couldn’t see a way out other than ending my life. The pain was all too much.

But just as I was about to do it, a soft voice cried, ‘Don’t let them win!’

I turned around to see an elderly woman. ‘They’re not worth it. Trust me dear, no matter who they are, they are not worth more than you,’ she continued. 

I collapsed to the ground and sobbed. It felt strangely good.

The woman helped me up, gave me a hug and asked if I was going to be OK. I nodded and started to walk back home.

If I saw her again, I would give her such a big hug. She saved my life that day. 

I wanted to live. Not as a shell of a person, but as my true uncensored self. That’s when I decided to send the text message to all of my family and friends. 

The response to my coming out ranged from affirming, to lukewarm, to outright hostile. 

A family member even disowned me and said to my mum while I was in earshot: ‘How could it do this to our family?’

Keep up with the conversations shaping Britain

Hi, I’m Ross McCafferty, Metro’s acting first-person and opinion editor.

Here at Metro, we’re passionate about giving a platform to unheard voices. You can read more real-life stories like this one with our News Updates newsletter.

From championing marginalised communities to tackling taboo topics, we help people from all walks of life tell stories that inspire, educate and spark change.

Advertisement

Sign up now and get the top headlines served straight to your inbox, every day.

I was referred to as an ‘it’.

My female friends reacted best. They were eager to help me buy clothes and make-up, which was lovely, even if it did make me feel like a fancy new accessory for them to show off with.  

My male friends, on the other hand, became incredibly uncomfortable around me. 

One close male friend, Kyle*, in particular said some very telling things. 

He didn’t reply to my text. However when we met for a drink a couple of days later Kyle blurted out: ‘I thought you just batted for the other team?’ 

In his estimation, I couldn’t possibly be a woman. I was just a campy gay man. I didn’t even know how to properly explain it myself to him. 

But his offensive remarks didn’t stop there. He also asked when I was ‘getting the op’, meaning when was I having gender-affirming care. I remember just saying, ‘I don’t know but I’m definitely a woman’.

I felt flustered and uncomfortable. It was beginning to upset me.  

He also said, ‘We can’t have the banter with you anymore’; banter, of course, being that not-so-thinly-veiled casual sexist commentary men often have at the pub. I took this to mean ‘We can’t chat about women around you now’. Not that I was bothered – that kind of chat always made me feel uncomfortable. 

And finally: ‘Does this mean you’re no longer one of the lads?’ – which felt like Kyle was throwing me out of the boys club.

I burst into tears. The pain of rejection was overwhelming. I made an excuse that I had to leave to get up early. When I got home I cried myself to sleep.  

I stopped talking to him for a couple of weeks. 

Meanwhile, other male friends didn’t invite me out for drinks as often and were more abrupt in conversations with me. They would say hi and then leave a long and very awkward silence – like they didn’t know what to say.

Once, I was walking through a park with an old friend and he got all embarrassed when a woman he knew passed us; he was worried that she thought I was his girlfriend.  

As a result of all this, I spent most of my time hanging out with other women. But gradually, they began to drift away too.

They’d had this idea of me that suddenly shattered. No longer was I the shy, meek, and chronically anxious man. I was quickly becoming a strong, fierce, and courageous woman. 

I never felt truly accepted in their company, which led me to become increasingly uncomfortable.

Then something remarkable happened. I started to meet and become friends with other trans people at support groups, meetups, and gigs. 

Before long, my entire friend circle was trans people. And in many ways, it’s just easier – you don’t have to explain anything to them, they just get it. 

You don’t have to exhaust yourself explaining what trans is to them. There is no weirdness around your transition because you share a similar lived experience.  

My life now is great. I have loads of supportive trans people in my life and I could not be happier.  

I do sometimes miss my cisgender male friends. The silliness and nights out together were a lot of fun.

But I don’t regret sending that mass text message – even if it meant I had some uncomfortable conversations. Now I know who my real friends are.

Name has been changed

Originally published October 12th, 2025

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

MORE: I wanted to enjoy being a new mum – then I was diagnosed with cancer

MORE: My brother discovered his long-lost daughter – then cut me off

MORE: I miscarried on Mother’s day – one woman’s question devastated me

F1’s bosses are caught in the middle of this debate, recognising the superficial appeal of the back-and-forth racing, but concerned about what the new cars are doing to the sport they grew up loving because they were attracted by its essence as the ultimate test of driver and machine.

Andrea Stella, team principal of world champions McLaren, said: “In qualifying, there’s some aspects of driving that could be counterintuitive.

“Like, occasionally there are comments from our drivers that once they make a mistake, actually save some energy, you go faster overall in a sector, because the energy you saved with the delay on the throttle because you had a problem is going to reward you at the end of the straight.”

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff said: “From an entertainment perspective, I believe that what we’ve seen today between Ferrari and McLaren was good racing. Many overtakes.

“We were all part of Formula 1 where there was no overtake, literally. Sometimes we’re too nostalgic about the good old years.

“But I think the product is good in itself. We saw quite some racing in the midfield also. And that is, I think, the positive.

“Now, from a driver’s standpoint, when it comes to the qualifying lap, that is different. Clearly, lift and coast in the qualifying, I’m sure for someone like Max, who is a full-attack guy, it’s difficult to cope and digest.

“Qualifying flat-out would be nice. But when you look at the fans and the excitement that is there, live, the cheering when there’s overtakes and also on social media, the younger fans, the vast majority, through all the demographics, like the sport at the moment.

“So, yes, we can always look at how we’re improving it. But at the moment, all the indicators and all the data say people love it. And I spoke with Stefano (Domenicali, the F1 president). He says that, too.”

The cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix gives the sport a little more breathing space to consider all this.

There is a meeting of team bosses with F1 and governing body the FIA this week, and another race in Japan in two weeks’ time before a five-week break before the next Grand Prix in Miami at the beginning of May.

A number of ideas to reduce the degree to which the purity of the driving experience has been polluted are already in the mix, such as removing a lower limit for energy recovery currently in force in a certain phase of the straights. And others may yet emerge.

Stella says: “Do we want to be faithful to the DNA of racing in a traditional sense? Do we accept that this counterintuitive situation belongs to the business or not? This is a high-level philosophical question.”

Among the famous faces hoping to win an Oscar tonight is Jessie Buckley, an Irish actress, who is nominated for her performance as William Shakespeare’s wife Agnes, historically known as Anne, in Hamnet, and she is the only performer considered to be a shoo-in for one of the top prizes.

Buckley said she is “honoured” to be nominated in the best actress category.

The Oscars is set to be one of the most unpredictable ceremonies in recent history.

Actors and actresses with the most Oscars

The best actor, best supporting actress and best supporting actor categories remain unpredictable, after a variety of winners at precursor ceremonies.

Who is nominated for best actor at The Oscars 2026?

The nominees for the best actor in a leading role are:

• Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
• Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle after Another
• Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
• Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
• Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

The nominees for the best actor in a supporting role are:

• Benicio Del Toro – One Battle after Another
• Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
• Delroy Lindo – Sinners
• Sean Penn – One Battle after Another
• Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Who is nominated for best actress at The Oscars 2026?

The nominees for the best actress in a leading role are:

• Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
• Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
• Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
• Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
• Emma Stone – Bugonia

The nominees for the best actress in a supporting role are:

• Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
• Amy Madigan – Weapons
• Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
• Teyana Taylor – One Battle after Another

Recommended reading:

There are also awards for people who work behind the scenes on films, including cinematography, casting, costume design, directing and more.

You can see all the nominees and awards on the Oscars’ website.

Can you watch the 2026 Oscars in the UK?

The Oscars will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 10.15pm tonight.

Talk show host and Celebrity Traitors star Jonathan Ross will host the ceremony, which will go on until 2.35am.

Three people have been arrested as protesters and counter-protesters have assembled on separate sides of the River Thames for the al-Quds day demonstration in central London, police said.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has arrested three people so far, one for showing support for a proscribed organisation, one for dangerous driving and a third for threatening and abusive behaviour.

Police have been bracing for thousands of people to attend, with hundreds of officers seen in the area.

Scores of people began arriving from 1pm, many holding Palestine flags and banners, some reading “Free Palestine” and “No to Israeli occupation”.

Pictures of Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were also held up, some accompanied by the message “Choose the right side of history”.

The annual al-Quds day demonstration in London had drawn criticism over apparent backing for the Iranian regime after its organisers expressed support for the country’s late leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A counter-protest has also been planned, co-organised by Stop The Hate and The Lion Guard of Iran group, with police using the River Thames to block the demonstrations from clashing. Iranian dissidents are expected to be among the attendees, Stop The Hate said.

open image in gallery

Advertisement

This week, home secretary Shabana Mahmood granted a police request for a month-long ban on the march organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), marking the first such protest restriction since 2012.

Despite the ban, participants can still legally assemble for a “static protest,” with the IHRC stating the demonstration will proceed “in defiance of a government ban on the march.”

In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said: “Protesters have assembled on both sides of the river. The al-Quds day protest on the Albert Embankment and the counter-protest in Millbank.

“Conditions are in place stating the protests must conclude by 1500hrs.”

open image in gallery

Police said those taking part in the al-Quds day protest must on Albert Embankment, on the south side of the River Thames, while the counter-protest must assemble on Millbank, the north side of the River Thames.

In a post on X, the police added that there will be increased officer presence in Westminster later.

It added,” Officers will be deployed to ensure the annual al-Quds Day march and a pro-Israel counter protest take place safely and lawfully, with any offences dealt with.”

open image in gallery

According to reports in The Sunday Times, a woman holding a sign in support of Palestine Action was seen being led away by officers. Footage showed the activist holding a placard that read: “I still oppose genocide. I still support Palestine Action.”

Hussain Shafiei from the Workers Party of Britain has spoken at al-Quds Day march, according to The Sunday Times.

He told the crowd: “The al-Quds march has happened 40 years peacefully; this is the first time it has been banned. They are so worried, they are so scared that the whole world has turned on Zionism.”

More to follow…

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV demanded a ceasefire in the Middle East on Sunday in his strongest comments to date, directly addressing the leaders who launched the war in Iran.

“On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict,” Leo said. “Cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for.”

Leo didn’t cite the United States or Israel by name in his comments at the end of his Sunday noon blessing. But history’s first U.S. pope mentioned the attacks that targeted a school, an apparent reference to the missile strike on an elementary school in Iran in the opening days of the war that killed over 165 people, many of them children.

U.S. officials have said outdated intelligence likely led to the United States launching the strike, and that an investigation is ongoing.

The Vatican has highlighted the carnage of the Minab strike, running an aerial photo of the mass grave being dug for the young victims on the March 6 front page of its official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, under the headline “The Face of War.”

Leo said he was close to the families of those who had been killed in the attacks “which have hit schools, hospitals and residential centers.” He expressed particular concern about the impact of the war in Lebanon, where aid groups are warning of a humanitarian crisis.

The plight of Christian communities in southern Lebanon is of particular concern to the Vatican, since they have long represented a bulwark for Christians throughout the majority Muslim region.

For the two weeks since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war, the pope has limited his comments to muted appeals for diplomacy and dialogue in an apparent attempt to avoid pitting himself as an American political counterweight to President Donald Trump. He hasn’t named the U.S. or Israel publicly, but that is also in keeping with the Vatican’s tradition of diplomatic neutrality.

On Friday, for example, in a speech to priests attending a Vatican class on the sacrament of confession, Leo said the sacrament was a workshop that restores unity and peace.

“One might well ask: do those Christians who bear grave responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?” he said.

But while Leo has sought to keep his messaging indirect and apolitical to avoid inflaming tensions, some of his U.S. cardinals and the Vatican secretary of state have not.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, said the war was morally unjustifiable. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich said it was “sickening” how the White House was splicing video game imagery into its social media messaging about the war.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, rejected Washington’s claim of a “preventive war.” But he said this week that the Holy See was regardless keeping dialogue open.

“The Holy See speaks with everyone, and when necessary we speak also with the Americans, with the Israelis and show them what to us are the solutions,” he said.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The victim is fighting for her life in hospital

A woman is in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in a knife attack at a property. The incident unfolded at an address on Warwick Street in Accrington, Lancashire on Sunday (March 15).

Emergency crews, including police, paramedics and an air ambulance, raced to the scene at around 10.40am. A woman in her 30s was found with ‘a number of stab wounds’, police said.

She was rushed to hospital and the force said she is now fighting for her life in hospital in a critical condition. A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

He remains in custody to be quizzed by detectives, police said. The investigating into the stabbing is ongoing, reports LancsLive.

Police say it is being treated as an ‘isolated incident’ however patrols have been ramped up in the area. One witness said: “Something very serious happened near the top of Warwick Street, Church. Ten police vehicles, three ambulances, air ambulance.

“Now police blue tape across the grass and a police officer standing outside. One ambulance went down Warwick Street, blue lights on and a police escort.”

In a statement Lancashire Constabulary said: “We were called to Warwick Street in Church at 10.40am today (March 15) following reports of an assault. Our officers have attended and found a woman in her 30s inside a property with a number of stab wounds.

“She has been taken to hospital in a critical condition. Following enquiries, a 39-year-old man from Church has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody at this time.

“This is being treated as an isolated incident between people known to each other. However, reassurance patrols will be increased in the area as a precaution and there will also be a number of officers in the area carrying out enquiries.

“If you have any concerns or you have any information which could assist our investigation, then please stop an officer for a chat. Alternatively, if you have information or mobile phone, doorbell, CCTV or dashcam footage which could assist our investigation team, then please call 101 and quote log 426 of March 15.”

Climate change and related disasters are driving millions from their homes. Now, a new UN initiative aims to put these very refugees to work offsetting the emissions of the world’s biggest producers.

Facing a US$7 billion (£5 billion) funding shortfall, the UN’s refugees agency has launched its Refugee Environmental Protection (REP) fund. The plan? To plant trees and install sustainable cooking stoves in camps, generating carbon credits to sell on the global market.

It sounds like a win for everyone: money for camps, jobs for refugees, and trees for the planet. But our research, carried out with our colleague David Harvie, suggests a darker reality. This is a system that generates questionable climate benefits, while locking refugees into low-wage labour to service the same economies that displaced them.

How the fund works

The fund aims to plant tens of millions of trees to offset carbon emissions elsewhere, while simultaneously providing employment for refugees and funding for UN refugee camps.

It uses donor funding to invest in tree-planting and clean cooking-stove programmes in and around refugee camps. (These cookstoves use electricity or burn liquefied petroleum gas rather than firewood – the cleanness refers to the fact that they’re considered safer for users because there’s less indoor air pollution, not because they are fossil-free).

The claimed carbon savings from these projects are then verified and registered as carbon credits to be sold to people or organisations who want to “offset” their own emissions. Revenues are used to replenish the fund, to improve the camp and finance new projects. Advocates also claim that clean cooking stoves will better protect women against gender-based violence, as they will have a reduced need to collect firewood.

The fund remains at a relatively early stage of development. Following pilots in Uganda and Rwanda, the UN plans to expand it to Brazil, Bangladesh, Kenya, Mozambique, Cameroon and Chad.

The impact on emissions

While the claims sound good, there are significant issues that mean the fund may well fail to reduce carbon emissions – and could possibly even increase them.

Many of the problems with schemes like these are now well known. The carbon credits industry’s self-regulation, combined with its lack of shared methodologies, undermines the credibility of its claims to reduce emissions. Key actors such as the multinationals that buy the credits or the landowners who generate them are also incentivised to overstate the climate benefits.

In addition, carbon credits rely on counterfactual estimates of what would have happened without the project. This is riddled with uncertainty, especially as climate change or reforestation can themselves alter how much carbon is saved.

These issues affect all carbon credits, even including the most rigorously verified – so-called gold standard-certified projects – which is the certification the UN’s fund will use.

The problem with planting trees

Most tree-planting schemes have very high failure rates, often seeing almost half the trees die in the first five years, while some can have mortality rates as high as 90%.

Poorly designed projects can also degrade soils, harm biodiversity and exacerbate water shortages. And as climate change increases the risk of wildfires, stored carbon could be released back into the atmosphere.

These problems have led many researchers to declare carbon offsets as false climate solutions that allow major emitters to continue polluting without any meaningful reductions. Indeed, much research has established that lots of carbon credits are effectively worthless.

The UN’s refugees agency has stated the fund “manages project risks according to high climate standards” and prioritises “measurable improvements in fuel efficiency and emission reductions.” It maintains that revenue is “transparently reinvested in community-driven projects”.

Who gets the carbon credit?

Refugees are paid to plant trees and assemble cookstoves, but the wages are extremely low. Comparable projects in Rwanda and Uganda suggest official wages range from around US$1.30 to US$5 per day, and are often less in practice.

By contrast, gold standard-certified reforestation credits typically sell for US$20–27 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, 2025 prices. Using conservative estimates, the fund’s planned 20,000 hectares of reforestation could generate around US$3.2 million per year, or US$64 million over 20 years.

The UN frames the fund as a way to secure finance for refugee camps, but our analysis of the pilot projects shows a huge disparity between the value of the carbon credits and the money reaching the camps. For the 388,000 people across the three pilot sites, we estimate the US$3.2 million generated annually would contribute roughly 14% of current (insufficient) funding – and less than 5% what is required to provide adequate services.

While the money raised is a fraction of what’s needed to run the camps, the “value” created by refugees doing low- or unwaged labour goes beyond the direct dollar amounts. These credits have enormous strategic value for the buyers. By purchasing gold standard offsets generated by displaced people, major polluters gain a powerful social and environmental license to continue business as usual. That’s why much of the value appears to go not to the refugee workers, but to the companies buying the credits, and to the intermediaries who manage the transactions.

Much of the work involved in generating credits also comes from the use of clean cooking stoves. This labour is entirely unwaged, and is done primarily by women. Where gas is involved as a fuel for these stoves, the companies who provide it also benefit by securing a small but important market for their fuel. That’s one reason why exporting countries such as the US support clean cooking initiatives, even while opposing other climate measures.

The UN’s refugee agency rejects the characterisation of the fund as exploitative, framing it instead as a necessary “innovative financing” mechanism to plug a funding gap.

Ultimately, we worry the fund risks creating a form of climate maladaptation, where something seeks to respond to climate impacts but unintentionally increases vulnerability.

Similar to many aspects of the emerging green economy, the UN’s Refugee Environmental Protection fund risks making climate change worse while exploiting refugee labour. This perversely locks refugees into a green Sisyphean task: producing carbon credits that enable continued emissions, thereby worsening the very conditions that helped displace them in the first place.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 47,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Eight years ago, Beadnell in Northumberland introduced a rule requiring all homes built on new sites to be used as permanent residences – preventing second homes and holiday lets.

The move came as the scale of the problem became stark – according to the 2021 census, around 61 per cent of the roughly 750 homes in the village were second homes or holiday lets.

Now, locals say the restriction has helped bring more year-round residents into the village and strengthened the community.

Beadnell, Northumberland, has banned second homes. (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Chris, 34, moved to Beadnell with partner Olivia Coyle, 30, eight months ago after spending childhood holidays there.

Olivia Coyle and Chris Dobson with Ralf the samoyed, homeowners in The Kilns estate which can only be lived in as permanent residences. (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

He said: “There’s certainly more in terms of entertainment, pubs, cafes and that sort of thing compared to how it used to be.”

Olivia added: “One of the main reasons we wanted to buy here was because we didn’t want to be living next door to empty homes.”

Chris said the village still quietens down outside peak tourist months – but no longer feels deserted.

The Northumberland village was among the first communities to act against the explosion of second homes.

Beadnell, Northumberland. (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

It followed the example of places such as St Ives in Cornwall, where residents voted in 2016 to ensure new houses could only be used as a principal residence.

Norfolk coastal communities, including Burnham Market, have also adopted similar restrictions.

But the coastal beauty spot is still heavily dominated by holiday properties.

The Kilns estate which can only be lived in as permanent residences. (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Jennifer Hall, 75, whose family has lived in the village for centuries, said: “In the summer, the place is packed out – you can’t get into a bar or book a table in a restaurant.

“Every place is crowded.”

But she explained that it is still quieter in the winter, adding: “There’s no lights in any of the windows.

“If you’re the only elderly person living on a particularly street, it can be lonely.”

Mrs Hall, whose ancestors arrived in the village in the 1600s, said tourism has long been part of Beadnell’s history.

Jennifer Hall’s family has lived in Beadnell since the 1680’s. (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Her great-grandmother even built the village’s first hotel after marrying into a local fishing family.

She said: “It’s still a wonderful place and a lovely community, but it’s different.

“It was not until the early 2000s that we started having these commercial lets. They were built as investments.

“They’re also little tourist factories, if you like.”

Mrs Hall said soaring property prices have made it increasingly difficult for young locals to stay in the area.

She said: “Young people – perhaps working in the tourist industry and not particularly well paid – can’t afford to buy the types of houses that they’re cleaning.

“They can’t get private lets either, because the owners evict tenants and turn them into holiday lets.”

Others say second-home owners still play a vital role in the village economy.

Val Graham, 62, who runs Beadnell’s village shop, warned businesses rely heavily on visiting homeowners.

She said: “Without second homes and holiday lets, small businesses in Beadnell wouldn’t survive.

“Most of these second home owners and families support the small local businesses throughout the year, not just during holiday season.”

The debate has intensified since councils were given powers last year to double council tax on second homes.

Christopher Brown, a retired solicitor who bought a holiday flat in Beadnell in 2000 before moving there permanently, says the restrictions on new homes are understandable.

Christopher Brown, Home owner and holiday let owner Beadnell, Northumberland, who have banned second homes. (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

He said: “I think it’s a fair-minded thing, because it can then begin to build and strengthen the actual community and increase the size of it.”

But he questioned whether the council tax crackdown was the right approach, as less could be spent in local pubs and restaurants.

Mr Brown: “The double council tax is a bit of a blunt tool to extract money from people.

“You’re going from paying £2,500 up to £5,000 – that is £2,500 that could be spent in local restaurants and other businesses.”