Residents have fought off plans to build Bath’s first padel courts claiming the 'intolerable' noise of the rackets sounded like gunfire.

The Lansdown Tennis, Squash and Croquet Club in Bath had hoped to turn one of its 11 tennis courts into two padel courts and a mini tennis court.

Padel is a racket sport of Mexican origin usually played in doubles on an enclosed court and has enjoyed a meteroic rise - becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

But a planning application to bring the sport to Bath for the first time was turned down - after dozens of objections from neighbours.

One of the major concerns was around the noise level the rackets generate when the ball is struck, described as 'like gunfire.'

And one resident John Baxter, who moved the area in 2006, said padel boarding would have been a nightmare for locals.

He said: "There will be disruption and negative impact upon health outlook privacy noise and right to a peaceful life."

"When we moved here in 2006 the application site was a quiet croquet lawn.”

John Morgan, a Lansdown Club member, said: "What you actually hear is gunfire-like noise, perhaps sixteen times background noise. Noise is the Achilles heel of padel."

Representing the neighbours at the meeting, Tessa Hampton, of Context Planning, said: “Padel tennis generates a much greater level of noise and disturbance than tennis due to the hard bats and pressurised balls which constantly rebound against the court walls.”

Currently fans of the sport having to travel to Bristol to play it - but locals said they were relieved after the application was refused by Bath and North East Somerset Council last week.

Olivia Lewis, 20, a student who also lives nearby, said the neighbourhood had also come out against the club’s plans for new floodlights.

The planning proposal had included an "extended terrace, replacement lighting and associated works".

The Lansdown Tennis, Squash, and Croquet Club said that 60 of its members were travelling from Bath to Bristol regularly to play the sport.

The club had planned to create padel courts surrounded by a 3m high glazed glass and lit by eight 6.8m column floodlights.

Representing the club, Tom Rocke told councillors at the meeting: "The Lansdown Club is an established sport and recreation facility located in the heart of the community it has served for over 140 years.

"It predates many of the residential properties that now provides its context, and provides a vital venue for residents of Bath and surrounding communities to participate in outdoor recreational activity."

"There can be few more appropriate places to extend and diversify opportunities for outdoor racquet sports for residents of Bath than in association with an established outdoor racquet sports venue that has benefited generations of residents from the city and beyond.”

The site is located within the City of Bath World Heritage Site and the Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site.