Residents on an exclusive housing estate are teed-off at plans to hold late-night parties at a nearby golf club.

People living in Wynyard, near Stockton, want to block plans by nearby Wynyard Golf Club to entertain guests up to 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The club, based at Wellington Drive, Wynyard Park, have been forced to post a letter to residents explaining their plans after locals responded angrily to the proposals.

Householders say the estate's tranquillity will be ruined by late-night revellers and traffic chaos. Golf course bosses, who have applied to Stockton Borough Council's licensing committee for an entertainment's licence, say they already hold evening functions and no-one has ever complained about them.

Andrew Gorman, who lives in Fulthorpe Grove, over the road from the club house, echoed the concerns of many residents.

He said: "I am a member of the golf club but did not move onto the estate to be living next to what, in principal, could become a nightclub.

"If this application was granted it would encourage people who didn't live on the estate to be around the vicinity in the early hours of the morning, and one of the main reasons for moving here was the security the estate provided."

The estate, which was built simultaneously with the golf club, uses a private security firm which closes the estate's front gates at 9pm every night.

Ann Wynn, who also lives in Fulthorpe Grove, feared extended opening hours could set a precedent.

She explained: "It would be the thin end of the wedge as an application to extend the licence to other days of the week and for longer hours would surely follow."

The club's managing director Gary Munro issued a reassuring letter to residents entitled 'Don't Worry'.

In it he explained: "Our recent application for a public entertainments licence appears to have caused some anxiety, particularly with those residents living close to the club house. It has even been suggested that we intend to open a night club.

"I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Our simple aim is to obtain the appropriate licence to enable us to stage the relatively small number of events that form our entertainment programme."

The proposals will go before the licensing committee at Stockton Town Hall on Tuesday, December 17.