COUNCILLORS have given their blessing for a music festival to go ahead at a Gwent brewery, after angry neighbours complained about the "distressing" noise.

Tiny Rebel has won its fight for an amendment to its licence, paving the way for it to hold another edition of its three-day Rebel Fest event in Rogerstone this summer.

But the brewer will have to limit noise levels and stop playing music at 10.30pm, as part of an agreement reached with Newport City Council after residents said the din at last year's festival was "completely unreasonable".

One local told the council's licensing committee she "couldn't even hear the telly" and had to put a pillow over her head to muffle the noise during last July's event.

"There was no escaping it - the noise was unbearable," she added.

Another nearby resident told councillors the impact of the noise was "quite distressing" and "not very comfortable when you have to live next to it".

"There's no peace - you get no peace in your own home," he said.

Over the course of a lengthy meeting, the committee also heard council officers visited Rebel Fest on the first day of last year's event, finding it was "very apparent" advice they had given to the organisers before the festival "was not being adhered to".

The event was "extremely well-managed" but officers "received further complaints" on the second and third nights.

They judged that "without clear controls in place… any future Rebel Fest would likely undermine the licensing objective of public nuisance".

But the committee also heard that Tiny Rebel had worked with the council this year to address the concerns from that event, including the brewery reaching a deal to switch off the music earlier this time around.

Sound levels will be restricted this year, and monitored at various points in the surrounding neighbourhood. Tiny Rebel will have a dedicated complaints phone line set up, and will pass on any concerns to the council, and an "on-site noise consultant" will be working during the event.

The committee said it "noted the considerable amount of work and planning that had been undertaken" by Tiny Rebel and the council "to mitigate any future problems likely to arise".

Brad Cummings, co-founder of Tiny Rebel, apologised for the firm "not getting it right" last year and pledged the next event would "100 per cent" abide by the council's conditions.

"Last year we were a bit naive," he said, adding: "We've learned a lot from last year."