A row has broken out between a five-star hotel and a trendy nightclub over visitors to the posh suburb being robbed of their beauty sleep - and is heading to the High Court in Cape Town.

Former Springbok rugby star Percy Montgomery didn't sleep a wink while staying at The Bay Hotel, which shares a wall with the St Yves nightclub in The Promenade development on Victoria Road.

And the city council set a precedent on January 23 when employees marched into the club before dawn and confiscated its sound equipment. Internationally successful electronic band Goldfish had just wrapped up a performance at the club when the officials arrived.

Montgomery said: "It was unbearable. One simply couldn't sleep."

English comedian Matt Lucas, famous for the Little Britain series, was also upset. He stayed in a R11000-a-night suite in the hotel in January, but because of the racket he couldn't sleep either.

Maree Brink, chairman of hospitality group Village & Life, which owns the hotel, said: "Matt complained after the first night. The hotel was filled to capacity so we couldn't just move him.

"When guests don't sleep well, everything else is unsatisfactory too. In a five-star hotel, no sleep is a deal-breaker."

Brink alleged that up to R1-million had been spent refunding irate guests who had been disturbed by the noise.

Hotel management also claimed that an extra wall was built and R62000 worth of window glazing installed to try to muffle the bass beats coming from the club. But, said director Johannes Lategan, the headboards continued to rattle because of the noise.

The Promenade is owned by Solomon Brothers Property Holdings.

Brink first complained to the company about the noise in 2006, but has now applied for a court interdict against the club and the holding company.

A spokesman for Solomon Brothers Property Holdings said the company "notes that St Yves has filed papers in the high court disputing the complainants' claims. The matter will be dealt with in the courts in due course."

John Riley, a legal representative for the club, said: "The owners and management of St Yves have been and remain eager to address any genuine complaints from its neighbours."

The seizure of sound equipment was the first time the city had used Section 22 of the Streets, Public Places and Prevention of Noise Nuisances Bylaw to clamp down on a noisy nightclub, according to Jean-Pierre Smith, the mayoral committee member for safety and security.

"The council had received so many complaints about St Yves nightclub," he said, "we had to do something. The sound equipment has been impounded until the matter appears before court."

Smith said the city was introducing a "decisive resolution mechanism" to clamp down on noise offenders.

The spokesman for Goldfish, Raymond Bloom, said: "Camps Bay is a sensitive area. There has always been friction between local residents and clubs and bars on the main road. It is inevitable that there will be tension."