CONTORVERSIAL plans to allow a popular student watering hole in Southampton to open until the early hours of the morning have been given the green light by city licensing chiefs - in spite of fierce objections from police and local residents.

The city's licensing panel has ruled that The Hobbit pub in Bevios Valley Road can open its doors until 2am - in spite of claims by police that the ruling would lead to crime and disorder rising "significantly" in the area.

Residents described to the panel how noisy and drunken youngsters could be. They said it was making their lives a misery.

Mary Macklin of Forster Road told members of the panel how her life had been turned into a "nightmare" by drunken and rowdy behaviour by groups of students.

She said: "We have five major clubs with an influx of people who could not give a hoot about anybody in the area who just go completely berserk."

Inspector John Snook from Southampton police added that granting the licence to the pub would be likely to cause increased noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour in the area.

He said: "I believe it would cause problems in Bevois Valley and a return to the bad old days."

But joint licensee of the premises, Colin Pollard said that since he had taken over running the pub, he had contacted local residents to discuss the problems. Members of the panel granted the licence with a number of conditions.

They included the pub putting up signs asking customers to leave quietly and regular meetings held between the pub owners, local residents and the university and Southampton Institute to try and deal with any problems promptly.