Butlin's could lose its entertainments licence after noise complaints at its multi-million pound Skyline Pavilion.

Local residents are fed up with the noise of singing and loud music since the new-look resort opened at Bognor in a blaze of publicity last May.

Pop star Ronan Keating, of Boyzone, opened the indoor pavilion dubbed the "Baby Dome" which now dominates the skyline.

Butlin's spent £23 million building the pavilions at Bognor, Minehead and Skegness and an extra £17 million was pumped into upgrading the three centres as new-look Family Entertainment Resorts.

But residents say they cannot hear their radios and televisions above the noise and have kept diaries listing dates and times when they have been disturbed by revellers. Now the entertainment licence which allows live music, disco and sports events at the site is to go before councillors, along with a log of complaints.

Arun district councillors will consider a list of options which include refusing the licence or imposing conditions. Entertainment bosses could be faced with having to control noise at the site by keeping all the windows and doors closed during events and controlling disturbance when people leave the premises.

John Buckland, of Kingsmead, Felpham, said: "Prior to the construction of the Pavilion, we attended a public presentation held to reassure the village that we had nothing to fear from this building. The developer said there would be no noise. This was a lie."

Mr Buckland said noise levels had been horrendous and one weekend they had been kept awake three nights in a row.

He said: "In our living room, we experienced continuous noise audible above radio and television and in our bedroom we lay awake waiting for it to stop. We are not alone in this complaint. Other voices were raised at our recent Neighbourhood Watch AGM.

"The noise rose and fell in a half-music half-speech wail, like a banshee. Irritation led to despair and then to depression as we waited for it to stop, three hours later."

The application will be decided at a meeting of the council's licensing sub-committee on Friday. Butlin's was today not available for comment.

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