BADBOY rocker Pete Doherty and his band Babyshambles are due to headline the first Moonfest music festival in Westbury this summer.

An estimated 5,000 people are expected to descend on Storridge Farm, from August 29-31, with Babyshambles due to headline on Friday, the opening day of the festival.

But residents living close to the festival venue have voiced their fears over the potential for noise and anti-social behaviour.

Festival organiser John Green, 46, who lives in Marlborough, said: "Wiltshire has got the festival atmosphere about it and the setting is ideal. Wiltshire people love to party and it seemed like a really good thing to do.

"We want this to become an annual event."

So far, 2,000 out of 5,000 tickets have been snapped up since they went on sale a fortnight ago, despite the fact the festival is yet to receive a licence from West Wiltshire District Council.

Retired resident Joyce Prior, who lives in The Ham, Westbury, is a representative for the White Horse Community Safety Group, is among those concerned about disruption in Storridge Road, Station Road and Ham Road.

She said: "I find it wholly unacceptable that a community has to put up with three days of music that's not our taste.

"There could be anti-social behaviour, drunkenness, rowdiness, the potential of damage to property.

"It's going to have quite an impact on the community. There's a lot of unhappy people here on The Ham.

"Clearly this has taken many months of forward planning, yet all this has been kept under wraps. It's most unfortunate that this can be planned without any public consultation."

But Mr Green said: "We can assure residents that the parking and camping is on a site at Southwick Farm and we're running shuttle services. People will have no reason to exit onto the streets.

"The noise isn't going to upset anybody. We've got two stages, the main stage will be closing at midnight and the other stage is going to carry on at a lower level after that.

"The set is ideally positioned so the prevailing wind carries the noise across the fields."

The event does not yet have the licence it needs to be held, and it must overcome certain objections before it can go ahead.

Clive Harland, principal environmental health officer for the licensing committee of West Wiltshire District Council, said: "On June 29 we are going to be able to advise on what the state of play is.

"If people object to the licence and their objections aren't solved by the organiser, there will be a hearing in front of the licensing committee."

Other acts signed up for the festival include Australian Pink Floyd and Go West, as well as local bands such as The Ozric Tentacles and The Mentalists.