Residents of Dunelm, Barnes, Sunderland, say they are sick of the noise and antisocial behaviour which they claim is caused by people taking advantage of the nearby Total garage's 24-hour alcohol licence.

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And now they have posted signs outside their houses stating "Total garage – the Blue Monkey of the Barnes" – referring to Sunderland's infamous club from the 1990s.

Resident Peter O'Connor, 50, who has collected a 32-name petition calling for the licensing hours to be slashed, said: "It starts at about 11pm and then goes on until 1am or 2am.

"Then it starts up again around 5am. What we get is queues of people waiting for alcohol, shouting abuse, laughing, crying, and all of that.

"Some of them come on foot at about 4am when they have finished in town and they sit in the bus shelter outside drinking cans and making noise."

Residents say they have been having problems since the 24-hour alcohol licence was granted about two-and-a-half years ago.

They say it is especially bad at weekends, with taxis coming from across the city to drop off people who have run out of booze.

David Carverhill, 61, who lives with wife Jean, said: "I've got a pile of cans and bottles which have been thrown into my garden.

"The noise is so bad as well. I cannot sleep."

Pam Dimmock, 44, who lives with her husband David and children Olivia, 17, and Grace, 11, added: "My kids don't sleep. They get woken up at all hours of the night and then it takes them about two hours to get back to sleep again.

"My daughter was kept awake when she had her Sats the next day. It's just not fair."

A spokeswoman for Total told the Echo the garage is working with residents, Sunderland City Council and the police to allay residents' concerns.

She said: "We cannot be responsible for the behaviour of the general public, but with regards to the site we have met with both the environmental health officers and the police and we do have restricted
trading times during the night.

She added: "We do have posters on site to encourage people to be respectful to residents and the work we are doing is ongoing."