An unauthorised Airbnb party pad charging up to £1,000-a-night was ordered to shut down after neighbours endured stag and hen revellers 'screaming, swearing and partying until 4am'.

The four-bedroom detached house in the leafy Headingley suburb of Leeds was advertised online as 'The Gathering' - offering accommodation for groups of up to 20.

Boasting a 'fantastic' outdoor hot tub, a vast communal dining room and a lounge crammed with sofa beds, it was promoted as the perfect base for a wild weekend in the West Yorkshire city.

A listing for the retreat declared online: 'Parties and events are allowed on site.'

But furious neighbours said the reality was anything but - with the lucrative commercial holiday let operating without the correct planning permission.

They said the secluded property became a magnet for boozy stag and hen parties, and groups tackling the notorious Otley Run pub crawl.

One woman, whose bedroom lay just metres from the hot tub, recalled guests blasting music, setting off fireworks and screaming in the garden until as late as 4am.

Sharing recordings of inebriated partygoers shouting and swearing in the hot tub in the early hours, she told how she was repeatedly jolted awake.

In one clip, a man can be heard discussing 'balloons' - a term commonly associated with inhaling nitrous oxide. In another, a reveller seemingly on a stag do shouts a crude sexual remark.

The 57-year-old neighbour had downsized to the area following the death of her husband, believing she was beginning a peaceful new chapter of her life.

Instead, she said, the weekly parties left her exhausted and in tears.

She said: 'I moved into my apartment in November 2024 after losing my husband.

'A week later I was woken up at 4am by screaming and shouting, and then every week after that.

'I just thought, "Oh my gosh, what have I done?"

'I had downsized, moved to this quiet area, grieving and still trying to work - only to be woken up at all hours with screaming and shouting.

'I can literally hear them filling balloons with laughing gas and inhaling it.

'It went on for ages and ages. I contacted the company that marketed the property. They had a helpline but it was all just lip service.

'I was in tears in the middle of the night.

'It drove us all mad. We've got a doctor here who's an anaesthetist, who works nights. We've got some old people. It's affected many of us.

'We've had fireworks, barbecues, and all this carrying on in the hot tub.

'I'm not kidding when I say you can literally hear every noise - every graphic detail.'

The listing described the detached house as 'well appointed' and promoted its modern kitchen, group dining space, flat-screen television and outdoor entertaining area.

Guests were asked to sign a contract before arriving and warned that the property stood in a residential neighbourhood where they were expected to show 'courtesy and consideration'.

Locals, however, said the safeguards did little to stop repeated disturbances.

Another neighbour said: 'We became aware quite quickly that there were stag parties, hen parties and people doing the Otley Run.

'They would arrive mid-afternoon, and you'd see a lot of taxis and then the noise would begin.'

Residents kept detailed logs of incidents and complained to Leeds City Council, local councillors, the owner and Airbnb.

The council's out-of-hours Noise Nuisance Team was contacted on numerous occasions over excessive noise.

Planning papers state that complaints included 'loud music, fireworks, late-night takeaway deliveries' and 'noisy' guests 'shouting and screaming'.

'These effects have caused the occupiers of neighbouring properties disrupted sleep, stress, anxiety, and the inability to quietly enjoy their homes,' the documents said.

Whether a holiday let requires planning permission depends on a number of factors - including how often it is rented out, the number of guests and if there is an impact on neighbours.

A room let out by a homeowner occasionally on Airbnb usually would not need planning consent.

However, permission is often required when there has been a 'material change of use' - such as when a normal residential home is run entirely as a commercial operation.

Leeds City Council took enforcement action last June after concluding that the property had undergone an 'unauthorised change of use' by operating as commercial holiday accommodation.

The only consent that had been granted was for 'meeting and office accommodation with sleeping space'.

Land Registry papers show that the suburban property, in Wood Lane, was bought for £325,000 in 2014 by a company linked to Leeds-born multimillionaire entrepreneur Dr Larry Gould and his wife, Michele.

Dr Gould, author of books including How To Retire And STILL Have A Great Sex Life, then leased the building in 2021 to a company run by Daniel Stevenson, director of holiday-let provider Outlooks Accommodation.

There is no suggestion that Dr Gould, who now lives in Manhattan, New York, was aware that the property was being run as an unauthorised holiday let.

Mr Stevenson appealed against the council's enforcement notice, arguing that permission should be granted.

But the appeal was this month thrown out by the independent Planning Inspectorate, who sided with aggrieved residents.

Chester-based Outlooks Accommodation, which runs similar properties across the UK under the 'Gathering' name, said the property was no longer being rented out.

A 'To Let' sign was displayed outside the building when the Daily Mail visited.

A spokesman insisted Leeds Council had been aware of the building's use as a holiday let 'from the outset'.

They said: 'Since then a large residential development was constructed adjacent to the property.

'As the surrounding area changed it became apparent that the use [as a holiday let] was no longer compatible.

'When complaints were received that could not be mitigated against despite all efforts from us, we took the decision to cease operating.'

Online reviews for The Headingley House had been mixed.

One Airbnb review said: 'We had an excellent stay at the Gathering for a hen do. The photos really don't do the place justice.

'There was so much communal space and we were impressed with all the facilities. The hot-tub was a great addition.'

But a less enthusiastic guest raised privacy concerns, adding: 'The property has cameras inside and also on the hot tub so unless you want to be watched in your bikini would not recommend.'

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: 'In this case, the number of potential occupants (up to 20 people) and level of disturbance means there was clearly a change of use from a single dwelling and therefore it would have required planning permission to operate.'