Marlovians living near Higginson Park need to know what “protection” they will have when more than 10,000 people descend on the town for Tom Kerridge’s gastro-music festival next month, says a concerned resident.

The sold out Pub in the Park, which is tipped to be a highlight of the town’s event calendar, will see thousands of people travel to the town over three days to enjoy music, food and drink from top bands and Michelin-star chefs.

However, a resident who lives close to the park fears that with alcohol, music and dancing allowed until midnight, people who live near the popular park could suffer.

At a meeting of the Marlow Community Forum, Bob Savidge, a member of the Marlow Society, said: “No pub in Marlow can play music in their gardens, but Wycombe District Council has agreed that licensing for music and drinking and everything else at Pub in the Park is until midnight.

“The official authorisation from the licensing authority says midnight. They can start serving late night refreshments, would you believe it, at 11pm. I trust these people know what they are doing but this is unacceptable.

“We live right opposite and we have a public right of way that goes past our house from the park.

“The most important thing is that we, the residents who live close by, understand exactly what protection we have got.

“With the regatta, I end up cleaning up broken glass, I see 14-year-old girls laying on the floor drunk out of their brains.

“When you compare it, this will be bigger than the regatta. These won’t be local people coming here.”

The event’s premises licence allows the playing of recorded music, other entertainment, performance of a play and films, live music, dance and alcohol from 10am to 11.59pm, Friday to Sunday.

The “laid-back summer celebration”, which runs from May 19 to 21, will see the likes of Tom Odell, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and James Morrison take to the stage to entertain festival-goers while they enjoy pop-up kitchens from the best pubs and restaurants across the UK including The Crown at Bray, Sindhu by Atul Kochhar and Tom's own restaurants, The Coach and The Hand and Flowers.

George Lawrence, also from the Marlow Society, said that while music may be allowed until midnight, he believed it would be stopping around 10.30pm.

Marlow Police Sergeant, Robin Hughes, and Wycombe District councillor, Roger Wilson, reassured Mr Savidge that the company behind the festival are running a “very professional operation”.

PS Hughes added: “Please be rest assured that anything of this magnitude will have gone through the Safety Advisory Group [at Wycombe District Council].

“It has all been approved. The music will be winding down at by 10pm to finish at 10.30pm.”

Chairman of the Marlow Community Forum, Rod Braybrooke, said: “I think generally the people of Marlow are in favour of this, to see what it is like.”