Ex-Bond girl Jane Seymour today crushed a village rebellion against the use of her country home for late night parties, after a court ruled she had done nothing wrong.
The star of Live and Let Die was dubbed a "neighbour from hell" by angry residents after she successfully applied for a 24-hour alcohol and entertainment licence at her St Catherine's Court home, near Bath.
When an organised march to her house to hand over a petition protesting about the late-night parties made little impact, villagers in St Catherine Valley decided to take their fight to Bath magistrates court.
Neighbours claimed the Grade I-listed venue was totally unsuitable for hosting large corporate bashes and that a single-track lane near the mansion was often clogged with lorries and vans.
But they failed to convince the court to impose restrictions to limit the noise or increased traffic levels created by Seymour's guests.
The chairman of the bench, Richard Curry, said there was "little, if any, evidence" of public nuisance. He also dismissed demands for curfews and limits on the number and size of parties staying at the house as "impractical".
Adding insult to injury, Graham Gover, for St Catherine's Court, also appealed for £300 costs from each of the 15 parishioners - claiming their case was doomed to failure.
But the magistrates ruled they had acted "honestly and in good faith" and said they were surprised at the application - considering their wishes to build bridges with their neighbours.
The villagers did win a minor victory when magistrates made two amendments to the licence - ordering that no alcohol should be consumed outside after midnight, and for the estate manager to meet the parish council once a month to discuss events and any problems.
Seymour, who spends most of the year living in Malibu with her husband and 11-year-old twins, has accused the villagers of being fame-seekers fuelled by "jealousy" and small-minded "nimbyism".
"By attacking a celebrity, they got to be famous," she said in a recent interview.
Seymour, who played Solitaire in the 1973 Bond film Live and Let Die, bought the 13-bedroom home in 1984 for £350,000. After spending £3m on refurbishments, she now rents it out for up to £28,000 a week for weddings and business functions.
