"I don't really know anyone now," says long-time Whitstable resident Shirley O'Neill.

"I can open the front door in the winter and not see any lights on - there is no one here. It feels insecure."

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Over the past 22 years, the 74-year-old has watched as dozens of homes in Albert Street have been snapped up by mostly-absent out-of-towners, or transformed into holiday lets.

Now, the prime residential road - just off the town centre's busy Harbour Street - is jam-packed with second homes and Airbnbs.

Concern about the resulting lack of community is a sentiment shared by her neighbours, who say they do not know who will be arriving next for a break.

It's a worry shared by people living in tourist hotspots across the country, with some holding referendums on whether to ban new properties being turned into second homes or holiday lets.

KentOnline reported this week how a number of new-builds in Kent have been snapped up by buy-to-let investors and rented out for as much as £2,100 a month.

Whitstable is now ranked as the eighth most popular town in the UK for second-home owners, with Albert Street thought to have among the highest concentration. And its appeal is clear.

The pretty seaside town is perfect for those looking for a staycation - offering multiple pubs, seafood restaurants, a beautiful pebble beach and a picturesque working harbour.

But for many who call the area home, the influx of tourists is pushing locals out and eroding the sense of community they felt many years ago.

Mrs O'Neill finds she is unable to enjoy the town she loves, to the extent that she now avoids the harbour and steers clear of the high street at weekends to escape the crowds.

"My neighbour left because of an Airbnb next-door," she says.

"Others in another house - which is now an Airbnb - left for the same reason.

"I expect people who buy these homes and turn them into Airbnbs wouldn’t want one next door to them.

"They don’t think about what they’re doing and they are just doing it for the money.

"There is a big turnover of people who are coming down to have a nice time. It’s not a community any more - it’s finished."

Albert Street is one of the town's hotspots for Airbnbs - with more than a third thought to be either holiday lets or second homes.

Residents say they are easy to spot due to key-lock boxes in the doorways, which allow holiday-makers access to the properties using a code provided by the host.

"It has a huge impact. There is no community..."

Homeowner Michael Stirling, 61, has lived in Albert Street for 40 years and says out of the 24 houses at the Harbour Street-end of the road, he thinks only eight are permanently occupied.

"It has a huge impact," he says. "There is no community. Noise is an issue, and just the constant coming and going. But I don’t know what you can do about it."

He believes Albert Street is so popular for second homes because of its proximity to the beach and town centre, which is about a two-minute walk away.

"I wouldn’t buy a second home because I don’t think people who buy them - particularly when they rent them out - appreciate the impact on their neighbours," he says.

Alexandru Enachioaie, 36, has lived in Albert Street for more than two years and has seen his rent rise by about £25 each year.

"When all of them are tourist homes, having a neighbourhood and community goes away because people are coming and going all the time," he says.

With its reputation as a magnet for DFLs (Down from Londons), Whitstable is Kent's priciest seaside town, with the average cost of a home rising 81% to £433,648 over the past 10 years.

"Property prices are quite high," says Alexandru. "But it must be worth it financially either for people who buy them for Airbnbs or people who have moved down from London."

While many lament the loss of community, some residents accept that the nature of the town has now changed.

"People who have Airbnbs tend to leave rubbish in the street and seagulls peck it open..."

Jamie Newcomb, 33, who has lived in Albert Street for six years, says second homes have become a "necessary part of Whitstable".

"It can feel like you’re living in a resort when you see the clean-up group come the next day," he says.

"I know a lot of people get wound up about it, but I’ve been here for quite a long time and seen the change in Whitstable.

"It’s necessary, but equally it’s frustrating for anyone who does want to buy in the area just to live."

James Puckett, 43, has noticed the increase in rental properties over the seven years he has lived there.

"I used to live in Switzerland where a lot of the counties voted to cap the percentage of second homes," he says. "It can affect local businesses because you get big surges in demand and dips.

"On a personal level, it does affect things like refuse because people who have Airbnbs tend to leave rubbish in the street and seagulls peck it open.

"Maybe it has some positive effects for businesses down the high street."

Time to ban new-builds from becoming second homes?

Whitstable residents are not alone in wanting more control over numbers.

People in Whitby recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of preventing new properties from becoming holiday lets or second homes.

A rare parish poll in the North Yorkshire tourist hotspot last month saw 93% of those taking part agree to restrict new development to "full-time local occupation". But the vote has no power to bind policy-makers.

Campaigners in Whitby say something needs to happen to prevent young people leaving the old fishing port and make it easier to attract teachers, doctors and other key workers who have been priced out of the town.

The votes on second homes taking part across the UK are a phenomenon being monitored by Canterbury City Council.

"We're aware of the Whitby Town Council vote but have no plans to do likewise in Whitstable at the current time" a spokesman for the council says.

"We will, though, look on with interest, as we have with the previous St Ives vote on second homes."

Tankerton councillor Neil Baker (Con) feels a referendum is “an interesting way of gauging public opinion” but would want further discussions on the idea before supporting it.

“You have got to work out what the residents want,” he says.

“If there is some sort of consensus, then you can go about asking via a referendum or seeing if you can bring something in.

“It’s always going to be difficult because I massively sympathise with the people who feel the short-term lets are wrecking their day-to-day lives or preventing them or their families getting housing.”

Cllr Dave Wilson, leader of the Labour group in Canterbury, says the problem with holding a referendum is “it might make people feel good but the council doesn’t have the power to do anything about it”.

“In Canterbury, we’ve been able to use houses in multiple occupation regulations to control the number of student lets,” he says.

“In principle there is nothing wrong with people owning second homes.

“But when it starts to adversely affect the nature of the town and exclude local people from staying local, it is problematic and we need powers to stop it.”

Residents remain divided on whether it would help tackle problems in Whitstable.

Mrs O'Neill supports having a referendum, but does not believe that will go far enough to help reduce the number of second homes in the area.

"I know in some places - like in Wales - holiday homes have to pay three times the amount of council tax and I think that should be something which comes in," she says.

"If people buy holiday homes, they should have to pay more council tax because obviously the people are pretty well-off and maybe the money could be put to good use."

Mr Enachioaie also backs the idea of restrictions, describing the idea of the entire town being made up of Airbnb properties as "pretty ghastly and sinister".

"What I think is responsible is having a certain limit on how many properties can be either second homes or Airbnbs," he says.

"Having control over that limit would be very useful because it enables the community to decide which direction it wants the town to go in."

But Mr Puckett is unsure on the idea.

"I used to work in the ski industry and they did it in ski towns, which were towns first and developed into ski areas," he said.

"They did it to protect businesses because supermarkets would suddenly have to cater for 10 times the amount of people.

"I wouldn’t like to say that is happening in Whitstable because you haven’t got that many second homes.

"In the winter, when the demand for rental properties drops, it is still busy in the high street."

"Locals are getting their backs up and saying, ‘Londoners are coming’..."

Mr Newcomb is behind the idea of reining in the number of second homes.

"Pretty much on a daily basis, we get flyers through the door asking, 'Do you want to sell your home? People in London are looking to buy’," he says.

"Hence why the locals are getting their backs up and saying, ‘Londoners are coming’."

But Mr Stirling says: "I don’t agree with it. The answer is perhaps for people to think twice and to be less selfish."