Furious residents in a street where Love Actually was filmed say their lives are being made a misery by thongs of tourists clamouring to snap selfies outside their front doors.
St Luke’s Mews, in Notting Hill, London, is plagued by hundreds of fans of the 2003 romantic comedy every week, who flock from across the globe to pose for photos outside a pink house made famous by the movie.
The home was used in one the film’s most iconic scenes, featuring Andrew Lincoln as he professes his love to Keira Knightley‘s Juliet, using a series of placards to declare: ‘To me, you are perfect.’
But the owner of the terraced property is sick and tired of tourists, who continue to ignore a warning made exactly three years ago from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) demanding people stay away from the quaint street.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I had no idea it was in Love Actually when I bought the house – the estate agent didn’t tell me.
Pretty in pink: Love Actually fans are leaving the owner of this home in Notting Hill furious by constantly taking photos outside her front door (a fan poses for a selfie outside the home)
The property was featured in one of the 2003 movie’s most iconic scenes, with Andrew Lincoln revealing his undying live for Keira Knightley’s character using a series of placards
‘I got the place in 2002 before Instagram or smartphones were even a thing.
‘My main problem is the tour guides and people making money off the place.
‘I leave a collection bucket for charity outside my door and ask the tourists to leave some money in it when they visit.’
One tourist there last week said she had headed to the area specifically to get a snap of the house.
But hundreds of tourists reportedly visit the street each week to snap pictures – with one last week jetting in from Texas, America, to take a photo (fans poses for a group shot)
Fans even get their dogs to pose for pictures outside the brightly-coloured home
More than 3,000 images on social media were tagged with the street’s name. It comes almost three years exactly since the local council issued a press release demanding fans go elsewhere and leave the street alone (pictured are fans posing outside the home)
Lauren Robertson, from Austin, Texas said: ‘I wanted to come to Notting Hill and go down this street to see the house in the scene from Love Actually where they hold up all the posters.
‘We love that movie so we came here to check it out and it’s cool to see it in real life.’
In January 2020, the local council issued a press release asking people to stay away, saying the owner of the pink home was growing increasingly frustrated with the unwanted attention.
There are almost 3,000 Instagram posts with St Luke’s Mews as a location and most likely thousands more.
They show bloggers and Instagrammers posing outside the house and it even has its own location pin on the social media site.
The home was made famous during Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley’s scene towards the end of the 2003 romcom, where Lincoln drops a series of cards professing his love to his co-star’s character, Juliet
Beaming: Keira Knightley pictured smiling from the front door of the pink house in Notting Hill
At the time a council spokesman said they were ‘stepping in to help protect the resident’s privacy and encourage visitors to try out other famous locations in the borough.’
They say film fans would be better off visiting Portobello Road, used in the 2014 Paddington movie and its 2017 sequel and home to the world-famous market, or Kensington Gardens, the location for the famous fight scene between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant in the second Bridget Jones’s Diary film.
Some of the unwanted visitors to the home in Notting Hill are even taking part in organised tours and other couples have had their wedding photos taken outside.
The homeowner said in 2020: ‘I had no idea this house was in the film when I bought it before the Instagram craze and now I am living under a blanket of selfies, tour guides and a queue of tourists lining up to take photos on weekends.
‘They even walk into my house if the door is open thinking it’s some sort of theme park.’
She said she had now put up a donation box outside and would give the money to homeless charities in the area.
Some of the brightly-coloured homes have previously sold for about £3 million. Pictured is a fan posing for an Instagram photo
She added: ‘Trying to make a good thing out of this intrusive situation I am asking that people respect the fact that not everyone has a home over their head and donate to homeless charities, either themselves or through the little pink box outside.
‘I have helped several people into shelters and all proceeds go to local good causes.
‘Those who make money out of bringing tours round to the mews, sometimes in a blacked out minibus, for their own personal gain should think twice.’
An RBKC spokesperson said: ‘We want to help to protect our residents’ privacy.
‘Our borough is home to so many famous scenes from well-loved film and television. There’s loads to see, so we’re encouraging visitors to give the owners of the ‘Love Actually house’ a break and try out Portobello Road or one of our beautiful parks instead.’