A tiny Alpine village is being mobbed by up to 10,000 tourists a day because it was the inspiration for the fairytale city of Arendelle in Disney's Frozen movies.

Local mayor Alexander Scheutz has begged fans to stay away from Hallstatt, in Austria - dubbed 'the most Instagrammable town in the world' - because it can't cope.

The once-peaceful lakeside village, with a population of just 780, is now packed with visitors taking selfies, flying drones and even letting themselves into residents' homes to use the toilet.

One cafe owner said: 'My mum woke up one day and found some Chinese tourists in her bedroom.'

And last November a mystery fire destroyed part of the village's 16th century waterfront.

The picturesque village of Hallstatt, in Austria, is being mobbed by up to 10,000 visitors a day

The fairy tale town of Arendelle in Disney's Frozen (pictured) is said to have been inspired by Hallstatt which is now said to be 'the most Instagrammable town in the world'

The fictional city of Arendelle (pictured) sits by a lake with mountains in the background just like Hallstatt in Austria which is now being mobbed by tousists

Hallstatt has been a Unesco world heritage site since 1997. But its popularity exploded after it was linked to the mega-popular Disney film which was released in 2013

A tourist enjoys the spectacular views in Hallstatt, Austria

Hallstatt, nestled alongside the Salzkammergut mountains, has been a Unesco world heritage site since 1997.

But its popularity exploded after it was linked to the mega-popular Disney film which was released in 2013.

Since then up to 10,000 tourists a day, mainly from Asia, have been flocking to the village.

Locals fear the release of Frozen II in November - now the highest-grossing animated film of all time - could lead to an even bigger influx.

Mayor Scheutz has urged the hordes to stay away and has even closed several roads to try and deter them.

He said: 'Hallstatt is an important piece of cultural history, not a museum.

'We want to reduce numbers by at least a third but we have no way of actually stopping them.'

Hallstatt is nestled alongside the Salzkammergut mountains and has been a Unesco world heritage site since 1997.

The once-peaceful lakeside village of Hallstatt is now packed with visitors taking selfies, flying drones and even letting themselves into residents' homes to use the toilet.

Local mayor Alexander Scheutz has urged tourists to stay away from his village

Firemen extinguish a fire in Hallstatt, Austria, in November, which started in a hut by the lake and spread to nearby houses

A sign overlooking Lake Hallstatt encourages tourists to enjoy the tranquility. But the area is now visited by more than one million tourists a year

A tourists browses postcards in Hallstatt, Austria, which has seen a massive tourism boom

Tourists pack the streets of Hallstatt, dubbed 'the most Instagrammable town in the world'

The village's popularity first rose in Asia after it appeared on a South Korean travel show in 2006.

In 2011 an obsessed Chinese tycoon spent almost a billion dollars creating an identical copy of the village in his home country.

But it was after it was rumoured to have inspired the magical city in Frozen that the numbers exploded and images of the village went viral on Instagram.

Hallstatt now attracts six times more tourists per capita than Venice and hotel rooms cost between £250 and £350 per night.

Frozen II has now made $1.325 billion at the global box office since its premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in November - making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

It has surpassed the first Frozen which made $1.281 million, and Incredibles 2 that brought in $1.243 million.

Tourists browse a gift shop in Hallstatt, Austria, which has seen a massive tourism boom

The once-peaceful lakeside village of Hallstatt, in Austria, which now attracts 10,000 visitors a day thanks to fans of the Frozen movies