Lords Hear of Airbnb Creating Rental and Community Crisis in Coastal Towns

Communities 'hollowed out' due to rise in holiday homes with one county unable to find enough locals to volunteer for a lifeboat crew

The morning sun illuminates properties in the popular seaside resort of St Ives in Cornwall, England on April 14, 2016. Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Britain’s booming Airbnb industry is creating a rental crisis in coastal towns with one beauty spot having 90 times more holiday lets than homes, the House of Lords has heard.

Speaking to peers on Monday, the Lord Bishop of Exeter Robert Ronald Atwell revealed that in Cornwall, just 208 properties are available for rent compared with a staggering 19,000 holiday homes.