Jane Seymour wins court case over neighbours

Ex-Bond girl Jane Seymour today crushed a villagers' rebellion against the use of her country home for late night parties - after a court ruled she had done nothing wrong, reports the Daily Mail.

Seymour, 56, who starred in the 007 adventure Live and Let Die, upset locals after she successfully applied for a 24-hour alcohol and entertainment licence at her St Catherine's Court home, near Bath.

Neighbours claimed the Grade I-listed venue was totally unsuitable for hosting large corporate bashes and a single track lane near the mansion was often clogged up with lorries and vans.

Homeowners in St Catherine Valley took their fight to have the entertainment licence amended to Bath Magistrates Court, with one resident describing her as a "neighbour from hell".

They argued increased traffic in the area constituted a public nuisance and a breach of the licence.

But they failed to convince the court to impose restrictions to limit the noise or increased traffic levels created by Seymour's guests.

Chairman of the bench Richard Curry said: "We felt there was little if any evidence of public nuisance, though noise at the premises was put forward."

He also dismissed demands for curfews and limits on the number and size of parties staying at the house as "impractical and unjustifiable".

Earlier this week, 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 including Robbie Williams 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 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.

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