Residents of some parts of Barcelona’s Old Town are being driven away by noisy revelers out on the town at night.

Residents owners around the Plaza del Rei, in the Gothic Quarter, and in the Sant Martí district near the beach, have been complaining bitterly for years to the town hall and local authorities about noisy revelers at night, reports the local paper La Vanguardia. It seems their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

Property owners in Barcelona’s Old Town Gothic Quarter (Ciutat Vella) complain that street parties of 30 to 50 people start around 10pm, and go on all night with drums, trumpets and guitars played in the street from Thursday to Sunday night.

Another problem is the filth the crowd leaves behind, which has to be cleaned up in the morning. Neighbours complain of urine and vomit in their doorways.

Calls to the police are futile, say locals. If the police do show up, the crowd just moves on for a while, before regrouping and returning once the police have gone.

Some locals have had enough and are leaving. “The Old Town is losing its residents,” says one local interview by La Vanguardia. “Before long this neighbourhood will be uninhabitable, if it isn’t already.”

The town hall say the problem is caused by revelers spilling out of bars and clubs in the area, and making noise in the street, for which the bars are not responsible. They can’t punish local joints for problems caused off-premises, say the authorities.

Locals feel powerless. Remonstrating with revelers only results in threats and insults in return, they say.

The Barrio Gótico (Gothic Quarter), also known as the Ciutat Vella, is one of the most sought-after districts of Barcelona amongst foreign house-hunters looking for some local charm. Those who like a good night’s sleep would be well advised to avoid spots where revelers tend to congregate in the street at night.