UK villagers irked as millionaire buys most of hamlet, turns it into 'fake film set'

NEW DELHI: Locals in a small village in Britain are angry after a millionaire purchased a majority of the area and transformed it into his personal "toy town", reported The Daily Star.

Michael Birch, who sold the infamous social media site Bebo to AOL for approximately £800 million in 2008 before buying it back for a fraction of that price years later, has purportedly been acquiring properties in the village of Woolsery, located in North Devon.

Instead of restoring the village to its former glory as a thriving farming community, Birch has reportedly been constructing large mansion-like houses, giving the place a "film-set" appearance.

This has resulted in a conflict between the locals and the wealthy individual.

"It’s one big fake – the centre feels like a film set under construction. Woolsery used to be a traditional farming village which belonged to ordinary, working, country folk. Nothing fancy about it," said a raged local elderly resident.

"Since the Birchs took over it has become a different place – new money, different people, different attitudes. As for the shop, the prices are way beyond me. I won’t go in there anymore. The village is horrible now and I’m moving elsewhere. In fact, I can’t wait to get out,” added the resident.

It has also been reported that Birch's purchases have caused property prices to skyrocket, forcing young families to leave the area. Birch has acquired numerous cottages, a sizeable farm, a local supermarket, and a fish and chip shop, bringing about 65 new jobs to the region.

Despite the economic benefits, some residents of Woolsery are dissatisfied.

Woolsery used to be a traditional farming village, belonging to ordinary, hardworking country people. There was nothing fancy about it." Another resident, Desmond Willetts, aged 88, claimed that Birch disregarded the opinions of the locals when he announced his plans, resulting in nine years of construction chaos.