Residents say attempts to curb late-night rowdy behaviour by restricting the opening hours of a Didcot takeaway have merely moved the problem to another part of the town.

The district council and police forced the Istanbul Takeaway in Broadway to close early because of anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

Now householders in Wantage Road say their lives are being made a misery by customers of the New Beijing Chinese Takeaway - from noise, the smell of cooking, litter and the remains of takeaway meals strewn across gardens and damage to cars.

Families who complained to South Oxfordshire District Council were today (Thursday) attending a public hearing in Crowmarsh into the council's refusal to allow owner William To to open until 11pm from Mondays to Thursdays, and 11.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Last year, Mr To was prosecuted and fined £2,700 by Wantage magistrates for nine offences involving dirty premises at the New Beijing.

Marie Durman, who lives opposite, is among the residents who claim the New Beijing already stays open past its current permitted closing time of 10.30pm. She said: "There is noise from people collecting late orders and staff driving off with late deliveries."

Residents also agreed with a neighbour, who did not want to be named, who said: "The situation has deteriorated since the district council and police forced the Istanbul Takeaway in Broadway to close early. Customers from town centre pubs now come to the New Beijing."

Planning consultants Nationwide Planning, which is representing Mr To, said they did not believe "the modest extension" would affect residents because there was already high background traffic noise there.