LOCALS in the tiny village where Heartbeat was filmed have hit back at rude tourists who pose for pictures but never spend any cash.
Goathland, in the North Yorkshire Moors, doubled up as fictional Aidensfield in the iconic ITV police drama starring Bill Maynard.
The show, which first aired in 1992 and ran until 2010, attracted almost 15 million viewers at the peak of its popularity.
The honeypot site still draws in thousands of tourists each year, with repeats regularly shown on British TV and episodes beamed to other countries across the globe.
But businesses have bemoaned a small minority of visitors who treat Goathland like a film set and not a real-life village.
At the Post Office, new postmaster Josh Westmoreland, 31, said: "A pet peeve of mine is that people will stand in front of the shop for a picture and not bother to come in."
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The store's previous owner hung a sign outside the shop – which featured as a tobacconist and newsagent in Heartbeat – calling it the Aidensfield Post Office.
But Josh is set to take it down – having already got rid of a mountain of Heartbeat souvenirs that were on sale inside.
He said: "Most people come to Goathland for the train station and because of the moors.
"We still get a lot of Heartbeat fans but it has definitely died down.
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"Somebody came in the other day and asked why they weren't filming today. They had no idea it finished 13 years ago."
Josh added: "When we took over the Post Office we got rid of a lot of the Heartbeat stuff that was on sale because people were asking for stuff about the railway, Goathland and the moors."
The nearby Goathland Hotel featured as Heartbeat boozer the Aidensfield Arms, run by Tricia Penrose's character Gina Ward.
Real-life pub landlord Keith Richardson, 79, says tourists flock to his pub to take souvenir snaps.
But he has been left fed up by folks who use the loos – but don't stop for a drink.
And he lamented online reviews claiming that the boozer is not like its fictional doppelganger.
Keith, who has run the pub since 1985, said: "People come here and they expect it to be as it was in Heartbeat.
"But if it was like the 1960s, then they wouldn't like it because they wouldn't have a shower to use."
A pet peeve of mine is that people will stand in front of the shop for a picture and not bother to come in.
Asked about reviews claiming some businesses were "rude", Keith responded: "People will always moan.
"But if you stand there all day and you sell a cup of coffee, and people keep on nagging you about the same thing, it does get on your nerves at times."
Many stores in Goathland, which has a population of just 400 people, still sell souvenirs linked to the show, such as biscuits, mugs and calendars.
A Heartbeat tour bus also brings visitors in, and the cast join a celebratory weekend festival each year.
Just opposite the Aidensfield Arms is the familiar Scripps Garage, which is now a gift shop selling Heartbeat memorabilia and trinkets.
Owner Jason Wood, 47, said: "Heartbeat is still a massive draw. We get people in from all over the world.
"We've got a Norwegian flag because we get a lot of people over from Norway, of all places.
"Apparently the show was watched by three-quarters of the population.
"Most people are great and they respect the village. But some people forget this is a real place and this is our home.
"There are some people who park wherever they like, drop litter or churn up the grass with their tyres.
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"If the pub's shut, you get the occasional visitor demanding to know why – that kind of thing."
The gentle police show, starring Nick Berry as PC Nick Rowan and Maynard as grouchy rogue Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, lasted for 18 series with 372 episodes.
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