A MIGRANT broke into an empty holiday home and lived there for days before a horrified family discovered him preparing food in their kitchen.
The homeowner first noticed a smashed window when he arrived at his £750,000 property in sought-after St Ives, Cornwall, for a half-term holiday.
The coastal county is reliant on tourism during the summer monthsCredit: Alamy
There has been a huge rise in anti-tourism sentiment in CornwallCredit: Alamy
When he entered he was met by an intruder preparing a meal in the kitchen of the fisherman’s cottage.
The dad-of-two was “horrified” to discover that Saidahmed-Hamid Ghalem, 28, had been living there for a number of days.
In the few days he had been there he made such a mess he left the house in need of repair.
Ghalem is a homeless asylum seeker, his last address was in the Docklands area of east London.
Locals believe he travelled from London with the hope of finding vacant property as so many houses in the area are not occupied at this time of year.
The 50-year-old homeowner lives in the West Midlands full time and rents out his luxury second home on a holiday lettings website.
He is now considering accusing authorities of failing to deal with illegal immigrants.
Ghalem, 28, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and trespass at Truro magistrates’ court and has been ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation, the Falmouth Packet reported.
The source said: “He hasn’t got the money to pay that back.”
Neighbours said the homeowner and his family were so shaken up by the break-in that they stayed the night in Falmouth before returning the following morning.
Colin Nicholls, owner of Colenso, a nearby hardware shop told MailOnline : “It must’ve been awful for them. I think they asked the guy to leave and he did but then he tried to come back again a few days later.
“I think he took it in good spirits and was very measured in his approach.
“I’ve seen him before, he’s a really nice guy and comes down every couple of weeks with his wife.
“I don’t think other second homeowners should be worried, this is an isolated incident and most of the homes are so close together it’d be very hard to break in unnoticed.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “It is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases, but when foreign nationals commit serious crimes in our country, we will always do everything in our power to deport them.
“This government deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year in office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.”
Although there has been a huge rise in anti-tourism sentiment in Cornwall the coastal county is reliant on tourism during the summer months.
Last year Fiona McGowan, who lives near , , told The Sun that residents in the area strongly dislike tourists.
The Cornish resident said their beaches are ruined by holidaymakers who leave rubbish lying about.
“Tourist destinations like , St Ives and are rendered no-go for us locals,” she said.
She claims she’s forced to stay in her garden or go to the park to avoid tourists.
However, the Cornish resident admitted that it goes both ways as the local community “would be penniless without them”.
Second homeowners are often blamed for – there are currently 14,000 empty homes as residents struggle to afford their first home.
A combination of poor weather, the rise in affordable all inclusive holidays abroad, local hostility towards tourists and vacant second homes saw a significant reduction in local business earnings this summer.
A gift shop, supervisor in Perranporth, Cornwall, Sidnie Ray-Neeld, 22, said second homes have had a massive impact on the village.
She said: “It’s strange because there seems to be a lot of people in the town but nobody is spending any money.
“Normally by this time of year we would be open until 7pm, but it’s dead by 5pm and normally we would have about seven staff but we’re at three currently.
“Second homes must be a factor when over half the area is second homes and the rest is overpriced .”
The drop in visitors to the picturesque county echoes similar trends in Spain where a relentless campaign of anti-tourist protests have been ‘scaring away visitors’.
Currently 14,000 empty homes as residents struggle to afford their first homeCredit: Alamy
Vacant second homes saw a significant reduction in local business earnings this summerCredit: Alamy 
