More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Instagrammers are putting lives at risk and causing traffic chaos in their efforts to photograph a beautiful poppy field, concerned villagers are claiming.
Dozens of people eager to get a landscape shot or selfie in amongst the sea of red flowers are parking up on the twisty A251 approaching Faversham from Challock.
Drivers are being forced to risk the possibility of a head-on crash as they manoeuvre their way through chicanes of parked cars on the notoriously busy 50mph road.
Passing point spaces on the narrow Porters Lane, near to the hamlet of North Street, are also being swallowed up by field-goers desperate to get a picture of the poppies.
Searches on Instagram, YouTube and Pintrest prove how the field has become an attraction in recent days, with numerous photos and videos being shared on social media.
Brian Flynn, vice chairman of Ospringe parish council, says the issue is getting out of hand.
"There's total chaos and traffic jams clogging up the main road because cars are just being dumped everywhere," he said.
"All the passing areas in the nearby Porters Lane are blocked so that makes it impossible when you meet oncoming traffic.
"People are coming from far and wide lugging semi-professional gear and tripods. I understand it's a beautiful field but we haven't had this problem before - it's become a phenomenon on Instagram which has got out of hand.
"They don't seem to care where they park or how far they make traffic back up by parking illegally.
"They are very different from normal ramblers. From dawn til dusk, the field is full of Instagrammers wading through the flowers desperately trying to find an angle to make it look like they're the only one in a field of poppies they've casually stumbled upon.
"I saw the A251 was red with traffic on Google Maps, and it's because of this."
More than 20 parked cars have been recorded at one point on the A251 in the last week - a road which has no designated parking spaces and is clearly marked with white perimeter lines warning motorists not to stop.
Mr Flynn's thoughts were echoed on Facebook by Lizzy Bee, who said: "There are cars parked everywhere, so might be wise to take it steady through the chicane. Not to mention not mowing down the pedestrians."
