POLICE were called to the house of a Hampshire MP after a private party at his Alresford home raged into the early hours.

Neighbours said loud music boomed until 2.30am on Sunday as George Hollingbery, key aide to home secretary Theresa May, hosted a joint birthday party for himself, his wife Janette and his 21-year-old daughter.

Ms May is responsible for law and order.

Mr Hollingbery invited a live band, DJs and several hundred guests to the large grounds of his country house at Abbotstone Road, Old Alresford on Saturday.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “It was totally horrendous. It didn’t matter whether we had double glazing, earplugs, whether we dragged a mattress to the other side of the house, played a radio softly playing classical music to drown it out - we could not get to sleep until about half past two.

“It’s not music then, it’s an aural assault. It was an invasion of your privacy and an invasion of your own mental space.”

Julie Hindmarch, of The Soke, said there was “very loud noise, very very late. It was quite extraordinary,” she said. “I eventually got to sleep at around one in the morning.

“He has been campaigning himself recently about noise levels on the roads. It’s at odds with his public commitment to being a good neighbour and keeping noise levels down.”

Bill Witchard, who works at Alresford Recreation Centre, said: “We could see all the shenanigans. It was very loud. I had a customer who said they could hear it in Ropley.”

But some neighbours said that the noise didn’t bother them.

Emily Durani, of Mill Hill, said: “It was a bit loud. I don’t know what the fuss was about really. I think some people have not enough to do.”

Police visited the house at 11.30pm over light pollution and again an hour later to tackle the noise. The band played until 1.30am while other music continued.

Mr Hollingbery received a final message from police at 1.43am to turn the noise down.

The MP for the Meon Valley, private parliamentary secretary to Ms May, has previously spoken out over noise pollution.

In an article for parish magazines in April, he said that noise from large groups of bikers on county roads was “a real problem ...particularly at weekends and on summer evenings when the noise can be continuous for residents.”

In a statement, Mr Hollingbery said he was “very sorry” for the disruption.

He said: “Over the years, we have held quite a few parties at my house – the vast majority of them for charity - and this is the first time there has been a problem with noise. The format was much the same as we've used before so I'm at a loss as to why things didn't work out well for our neighbours in Alresford this time.

“Before the event, we sent letters to those nearby warning them of what was going to happen but perhaps, in hindsight, we should have sent those letters out more widely.

“I truly understand it was clearly unpleasant for some of our neighbours and I very much hope they will accept my sincere apologies.”

Mr Hollingbery told the Chronicle that the party was for friends and family and that the prime minister, David Cameron, and Ms May did not attend.

He offered no comment when asked how the incident reflected on his position in the Home Office.