Charlestown, a Cornish fishing village known as a filming location for the BBC series Poldark, has been nicknamed "Britain's Ibiza" after a surge in drunken, anti-social behaviour by underage drinkers during the summer holidays. Residents and local businesses say youths, some reportedly dropped off by their own parents with large quantities of alcohol, have been vandalising the harbour area, littering, swearing at adults and throwing objects such as rocks and traffic cones into the water, prompting fears among elderly residents and some businesses to close early.

Devon and Cornwall Police have responded by introducing new dispersal powers to allow officers to move on troublemakers before situations escalate, with Inspector Simon Andrews describing the measure as a tool to intervene early. The village, home to fewer than 500 households but with an unusually high concentration of bars and restaurants, has previously suspended harbour-jumping activity for a year due to disorder. Harbour master Mathew Chapman, 45, said he confronts unruly groups daily but described current penalties as merely "a slap on the wrist," calling for tougher rules, while visitors such as Matthew Longhurst also reported witnessing "carnage" and abusive behaviour around the harbour.