Noel Edmonds sparks furious row with New Zealanders as they accuse him of ... trends now

Noel Edmonds has been accused of 'colonising' an idyllic New Zealand village after purchasing 12 properties worth £15million and opening a pub called The Bugger Inn in the area home to just 2,500 people.

The UK television star, best known for Noel's House Party and presenting Deal or No Deal, moved Down Under in 2019 with his wife Liz.

He has since bought 12 properties with a total landmass of 270 hectares worth almost £15million, the Times reports, most of which are based in or around the village of Ngatimoti, located 26 miles to the west of Nelson on South Island.

Mr Edmonds has brought a corner of England to the area complete with a restaurant, shop, coffee house and The Bugger Inn on his River Haven estate.

He says he is trying to assimilate into the community and has made local donations, recently paying the village school's £3,000 bill for traffic management during this year's festival. 

But while many locals are said to appreciate the new hub where they can meet one another, not everyone is happy about his claims he has 'revived' the area.

The village is already well-known in New Zealand for its annual festival, which generally takes place in October and is attended by thousands of people.

One local, who did not wish to be named, told the New Zealand website Stuff that Edmonds has 'colonised' their village.

'I feel like he's a coloniser,' they said. 'He's come in like [he's] the lord of the manor'.

The resident added: 'He's got this attitude... about how he's improved the place and made it amazing - it was already amazing.' 

Others criticised his 'flashy' 4x4 fleet which they said included a Land Rover with a PA system for blasting music, lights and sirens. 

Some locals also told Stuff they were concerned about security cameras placed at the

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