FRIGHTENED elderly neighbours of the Duke of Cambridge pub in Marlow say they are distraught after a licensing panel granted 1am drinking and "ignored" objections from residents and a nursing home.

Wycombe District Council has granted a late licence for the Queens Road pub, Marlow.

The council gave the green light despite more than 32 letters of objection and it being near to Sir Aubrey Ward nursing home and Mayorfield House sheltered housing scheme for pensioners.

Eighty-nine year-old Beatrice Josey, 89, lives next door to the pub.

She said: "I can't understand why the council has allowed this. The licensing panel has totally ignored us."

"I don't want booming music and drunk people walking around my garden late at night, it frightens me."

She continued: "I just feel so sorry for all the old people who live in Sir Aubrey Ward."

However, the home is resigned to the decision to allow the pub to stay open until 1am at weekends and midnight during the week.

Carol Sawyers, spokesman for Sir Aubrey Ward said: "No, we are not happy, but we think the conditions attached to the licence will protect the residents and we are not going to appeal it."

The conditions require the pub, to bring everyone in from the garden after 11pm, shut windows and doors and stop alcohol leaving the property.

Steve Butler, a regular at the pub said: "I use late licences to carry on drinking in the town. That's where they should be though, in the town centre."

Marlow Town Council warned at Tuesday.'s meeting that late licensing would open the floodgates for binge drinking and may overstretch police resources in town.

Dennis Sargeant, from Oxford Road, who is a member of Marlow Community Association, said: "I don't agree with the blanket approval especially as there is no annual review, but at least you can appeal this decision, whereas you couldn't under the old magistrates system."

A Wycombe District Council spokesman said: "People can appeal the decision at Wycombe Magistrates Court within 21 days of receiving written notification of the decision.

"They can also ask for the decision to be reviewed after November 24, when the licence comes into effect, but only if they provide evidence that a licensing rule has been broken."

Neither the licensee nor the applicant, Enterprise Inn, were unavailable for comment.