Perched on the banks of the serene Gare Loch, the Baronial mansion was previously home of Victorian socialites.

Now, according to unhappy neighbours, Invergare Castle is more likely to be the home of hen and stag dos, which have turned the estate into a “mini Glastonbury Festival”.

The 10-bedroom property, in Rhu, near Helensburgh, which is being rented out for up to £1,750 a night on Airbnb, has sparked anger from village residents who have accused groups staying at the property of playing loud music until the early hours, scaling the parapets, singing sectarian songs and lobbing Buckfast bottles.

Police have been called 12 times to report the behaviour of guests renting out the property, which dates from 1855. The grand building was home to scandalous Victorian socialite Madeleine Smith, who went on trial accused of murdering her older lover by poisoning him with arsenic – and became the first person in Scotland to be let off on a “not proven” verdict.

It is now owned by Graham Gardner, who bought the house as a wreck in 2017 and funnelled cash into its restoration.

Despite neighbours claiming stag and hen parties are causing chaos, Mr Gardner insisted he does not allow stag or hen parties to stay in the castle.

But outraged villagers claimed guests staying at the property have set out “a very loud, Glastonbury-style outdoor sound system” and tossed bottles of tonic wine across the lawn.

Revellers have also been seen scaling the parapets of the property and singing offensive sectarian songs, a meeting of Rhu and Shandon Community Council was told.

Neighbour Derek Hall said: “The anti-social behaviour extends to the climbing of parapets on the property, singing sectarian songs and the tossing of empty Buckfast bottles on to the lawns – all unsupervised as the owners spend quiet evenings at home.

“Their response is that guests will lose their deposit, which makes the enterprise even more profitable.

“The house is advertised as an Airbnb property and the owners offer it for rent for occasions like hen and stag parties.

“Our contention is that it is being run as a commercial business, not as an Airbnb, where the owners live in the property and rent it out. It is not unusual for them to have a very loud, Glastonbury-style outdoor sound system that can go on until 2am or 3am.

“Within the last year, we have called police on 12 separate occasions to try and quieten them down, but it does not seem to do any good.

“The owner’s response has been well short of what we feel a responsible owner should do.”

An Airbnb listing for the property states: “Invergare Castle is a fabulous house for families, with extensive gardens in a friendly and safe community.

“Because it is situated in a quiet residential area it is unsuitable for hen and stag parties.

“No loud music after 10pm. No external/third party speaker systems, guests may use the Sonos speaker system provided only.”

Another neighbour, Mike Thornley, welcomed proposals from the Scottish Government to regulate Airbnb properties.

Mr Thornley said: “Our own preference is for Invergare to be occupied by the owners as family houses, as has always been the case in the past, when total occupation since the 1970s has never exceeded more than 10 persons, compared with 30 as now occurs.”

Mr Gardner refuted suggestions that stag and hen parties were responsible for noise.

He said: “As far as we are aware, there has not been any anti-social behaviour beyond guests talking on the patio late at night. The police were asked to attend and fed back to us there was nothing of concern."

He added: “It’s important to note that we do not allow stag and hen parties as we prefer family gatherings.

“When we purchased Invergare it was a wreck and we have invested a huge amount of our own money restoring this important historic building sympathetically and to a high standard.”

Argyll and Bute Council said it was looking into the situation and that an enforcement file has been opened.