Jane Seymour's party people 'made Robbie Williams seem tame'

But Robbie Williams was a model of moderation and quietness compared with subsequent guests at Jane Seymour's country mansion, magistrates were told yesterday.

Miss Seymour rents out the 13-bedroom St Catherine's Court, near Bath, for private parties, weddings and corporate events, which neighbours claim disturb their peace.

They were enraged in May when the 56-year-old actress successfully applied for a 24-hour alcohol and entertainment licence at the Grade-I listed property.

Yesterday Mark Strutt, a retired major representing the villagers of St Catherine, told Bath magistrates there had been few problems in the parish when Miss Seymour first took over the house, and even hired the mansion out to rock stars without upsetting local residents.

Mr Strutt said: "The house was leased out as a premises, which was used by the likes of Robbie Williams and a pop group called The Cure. They would come down and stay there and compose their music.

"You would think having these pop groups down would be horrendous.

"But the then manager made it absolutely plain that the premises was in a noise sensitive area and made an undertaking noise would be kept to a minimum, which it was.

"The whole scene started to change in late 2000, when it became normal for large events, one-day events, wedding receptions to be held at the house."

Earlier Mr Strutt had asked magistrates to place restrictions on the licence, including an 11.30pm curfew, a maximum of 50 guests per event and only one event per month.

Miss Seymour, who starred in the Bond movie Live And Let Die, bought St Catherine's Court with her husband James Keach, 59, in 1984. The couple live there for just three months a year. The rest of the year they let out the mansion for £28,000 a week.

Yesterday parish chairman Ian Plaister told the court that he had held a number of "cordial" meetings with Miss Seymour's husband over the villagers' concerns.

He claimed he was told last year that the couple were planning to scale down events at the house and rent it out to small groups, a few times a year - but this never materialised.

Mr Plaister said dialogue between the two factions ended after Miss Seymour and her husband failed to respond to letters and phone calls.

"We have tried everything we can to avoid these proceedings," he said.

During the second day of the ongoing hearing, several villagers were called to give evidence about the alleged noise problems caused by the parties held at Miss Seymour's house.

But Graham Gover, for St Catherine's Court, insisted the owners had complied with the terms of the licence.