A BIKINI party venue which residents claim has caused regular late-night disruption has launched a legal bid to stay open until 4am at weekends.

Patellis Lazarou, owner of Forest Road Snooker Club in Walthamstow, is challenging a decision to impose a closing time of 2am on Friday and Saturday. The venue was previously closed down for breaking the terms of its licence, which restricted the club to members only.

Families living nearby complained of parking congestion, noise from anti-social customers and scantily clad women walking in the street on their way to bikini parties.

But the club was granted a new licence by the council’s licencing committee in January which allowed it to stay open into the early hours seven days a week.

Mr Lazarou has now lodged a challenge to this decsion at Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court.

Residents have reacted angrily to the news and say disruption from the club’s customers is continuing. Leonard Eastwood, of South Countess Road, said: “I think it is out of order.

“Whatever we did last time just seems like it was a lot of rubbish because he got the go-ahead anyway and now he wants to extend the hours even more."

We have enough problems with the anti-social drinking and now this.

“I just feel it is really wrong when you live in a residential area.

“It is not just the club. It is the people who go there and the noise they make when they are leaving. “People have to go to work the next day."

His neighbour, Robert Francois, 52, said: “The road will be blocked with cars parked up back to back and then on Monday morning we have to go to work.

“It makes me so angry that the club owner is trying to do this.

“This area is not a commercial area, it is residential.”

The Guardian has been unable to contact Mr Lazarou

Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Twitter